


Stella by Starlight

by Stella_bystarlight



Category: Andrew Hozier-Byrne (Musician)
Genre: Andrew Hozier-Byrne - Freeform, F/M, Hozier, Language, song: Almost (Sweet music) Hozier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-01-05 21:10:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 31,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18374159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stella_bystarlight/pseuds/Stella_bystarlight
Summary: Stella is a University student who works part-time at a Doggy Care center when she gets a call for a new client. Driving out to the address given in the countryside, she meets the Tall, Irish owner of Elwood, Andrew, who asks her to care for his dog while he is out of the country.





	1. Chapter 1

#  Stella By Starlight

###  Chapter 1: The Dog Days are over 

I could feel it immediately. The wetness that was now seeping into my clothes and down my legs. But when i looked down at the big hazel eyes of the creature that caused the mess I couldn't help but laugh.

"Let's try to keep the water IN the tub next time, shall we?" I asked Bruce, the Australian Shepard that i was currently bathing as he wagged his tail eagerly and flinging suds from left to right.

It was part of the job, I suppose. So i couldn't get too upset that my clothes were drenched. I always brought a spare to change into before going on walks. You get used to it when you've been working part time at a pet daycare and groomers going on 5 years now. I finished rinsing the rambunctious dog before toweling him off and letting him loose in the sun room to dry off with his fellow pup friends. I had just enough time to change before i had to leave for my afternoon dog walking appointments. Grabbing my bag from a nearby chair, I headed to the employee bathroom, making sure to check and see that Joelle was at the counter first before disappearing. She was new at the shop, so she definitely needed all the help she could get. I wouldn't want to leave her high and dry...ironically considering dry is the exact opposite of what i was.

She seemed to be handling her current customer well, thankfully. Locking the door behind me, I quickly stripped out of my clothing and toweled the remaining dampness away. I then slid on a pair of black jeans, and a deep yellow cold shoulder sweater. I took a glance in the mirror at my hair to make sure my loose braid was still intact before heading back into the shop, trying to keep the time away from Joelle to a minimum. She was trying to towel dry a Pomeranian and had the phone propped against her ear with her shoulder at the same time. Based on the amount of water everywhere, the Pomeranian was winning.

"Yes, thank you i will let her know. Have a great day!" she finished hurriedly.

I gave her a gentle smile as i noticed her silent cry for help from across the room. Grabbing the phone from her, i placed it back on the receiver and she let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank god, i thought i was about to drop it into the bath water if i held it there any longer" the Pomeranian licked at her chin as she dried her off.

"Anything i can help with before i head off? Rick should be in soon to help"

The shop owner was the most punctual person I had ever met. He was 43 and well groomed and had grown to almost be like a second father to me while i have been here for university.

"It's almost 9. He should be rolling in with--"

"One Mocha, one Frappuccino, and one Earl Grey Tea WITH honey has arrived" he announced as he walked in the door and set the drink tray down on the counter.

Joelle eagerly thanked him before grabbing the frapp and dipping her finger into the whipped cream.

"I can always count on you, Rick. Thank you" I said as I grabbed the still warm tea and letting the warm scent wash over me before taking a sip.

"aye, there's a bit of a bite to the air so the tea will be great for your walk"

"OH!" Joelle said quickly swallowing what was in her mouth, "That reminds me, Stella, there was a phone call while you were in the back. We have a new client that needs some doggy care and wants you to stop by today to meet the dog. I wrote the address down here" she explained pushing a piece of paper into my hand.

"Sure!" I said taking the sheet of paper and making note of the location "oof, it's a bit out of the way. So i will probably stop by on my drive home"

The address on the sheet of paper was way out in the countryside. Definitely outside of walking distance but that area is pretty scenic so I didn’t mind the idea of a short commute. I reached behind the counter and grabbed my belted bag I wore on walks and snapped it around my waist. Joelle stifled a giggle.

“What?” I asked incredulously, looking down at the faux leather bag

“A fanny pack?” she asked

“It’s a belted bag,” I said raising an eyebrow and feigning a cocky fashion-forward tone “and it has everything I need. Bags, Treats, you name it”

I couldn’t count how many times I had hands full with leashes and was lucky to have this bag handy for me to reach into without fear of dropping it or letting the leashes loose. I put my sunglasses on and stuck my tongue out at her before leaving the store, tea in hand, leaving their laughter behind me.

The morning passed rather quickly. I currently had 3 dogs that I walked in the mornings. If the weather is nice I loved taking them to the local dog park and letting them run and play while I studied or worked on my classwork only to be interrupted by the occasional dog running up and licking my hand or setting a stick at my feet to throw. Spring was in the air this morning and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky so it made my walk all the more pleasant. Once I returned the dogs fully exhausted back to their respective homes, I hopped into the car, typed the address that I was given into my GPS, and headed out into the countryside. Windows rolled down, and “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful” by Florence Welch streaming through my speakers my mood was at an all time high. Before I knew it I was driving up to my destination. Fenced off green fields stretched for miles and in the middle amongst a few trees sat a sizable cottage-style farm. It was an absolutely gorgeous area to live in and I was growing warmer to the thought of visiting often if not just for the views alone.

Getting out of the car, I walked to the front door and knocked. I heard barks from the other side of the door before a portly bearded man with shaggy brown hair and black glasses opened the door.

“Ah, Hello! You must be Stella, I presume? I’m Jon” He said reaching his hand out to shake mine.

“That would be me! Pleasure to meet you! I hear you have some doggy care needs?” I asked keeping my demeanor cheerful and professional.

“Yes, yes! Come in. I’ve got some tea brewing and I’ll introduce you.” He said stepping aside and inviting me in

The foyer was quite nice with a stairway leading to an upper level of the house and a hallway to the left of it which he was guiding me down presumably to the kitchen.

“Cream? Sugar?” he asked pulling a mug from the cabinet.

“Just sugar is fine, thank you” I said sitting on a stool on the other side of the counter.

“Good choice,” He said setting the mug in front of me “Well then, better explain the job, aye?” he said with a laugh

I nervously nodded and let out a small chuckle before taking a sip of my tea.

“So, This isn’t my house, it’s my brother Andy’s. He’s should be here soon, actually. He tends to be in and out. Has a bit of a busy schedule that requires him to be gone for long bouts of time. Usually I just stay here and watch Elwood, err… the dog, while he is away. Except, next month I will actually be away as well so… Here we are.”

“Here we are” I said with a laugh. Seemed pretty straight forward. With a home of this size I wouldn’t be surprised if whomever owned it was quite busy.

“We won’t be leaving for another month, but Andy thought it would be best if we went ahead and had you start early in case you had any questions or if god forbid the dog didn’t like ya then we would know before it was too late”

I cringed “Yea, fair point.”

Jon began by giving me info on the dog’s routine. Which, to be honest, was one of the most low maintenance dogs I had ever heard of. The poor man was giving me information almost apologizing because he didn’t want it to seem like “too much” of a burden. I laughed and assured him that, trust me, this was nothing compared to some of the “richer” dogs I had taken care of. I heard a car door and a bark from outside.

“Ah, That’d be Andy.” He said standing and getting another mug from the cupboard.

I heard the door in the Foyer open and the sound of dog nails on tiles as Jon yelled that we were in the kitchen. A medium sized spaniel mix bounded into the room, tail wagging. He was mostly black save for a like of white to his nose, speckled white and black around is neck and chest, feet, and white tipped tail. Immediately noticing the stranger in the room he bounded over to me and I reached my hand out to let him give me a sniff. He smelled the other dogs scents on me, no doubt. Soon he nudged my hand and began wagging his tail and I grinned petting him and giving him a scratch behind the ear. Glad that I passed his test.

“Ah, well done.” A quiet voice said from the door way.

I glanced up and noticed a tower of a man in the doorway. Easily 6’5” which is hilarious compared to my height of 5’4”. He wore dark jeans and a black t-shirt under a blue jean jacket. His long shaggy brown hair was quite adorable, especially with such stunning hazel eyes and stubble of beard and mustache framing his face.

“Andy! This is Stella, the dog sitter, and Stella, this is my brother Andrew” Jon introduced us.

“Lovely to meet you, Stella.” He said with a smile as he walked over and reached for my hand.

I stared up at him and shook his hand with a smile, “Thank you, you as well!”

“Elwood seems to like you, that’s a good sign.” He said with a wink.

“Ah, well I always trust a dog’s judgement.” Jon added.

I blushed at the compliment.

“Great, well I assume Jon has filled you in on the details?” He asked grabbing the cup of tea that Jon had just poured for him

“He did. I’m eager to start! Now, would you need me here daily before you leave?”

“Probably every other day for now, until I leave. But I will be gone for roughly a month so once that happens definitely would need you here every day. I hate to leave my boy alone.” He said patting the dog who was now leaning against his leg longingly looking up at him.

“Can he have treats?” I asked

At the sound of the word “treat” Elwood’s ears perked up and he immediately stood up, tail wagging and looking at me eagerly. Practically vibrating with well controlled excitement.

“Ah now you’ve done it!” Andy said laughing “Yes, he can have treats.” He said.

I reached into my bag and pulled out a treat before letting him gently take it from my hand.

“And so well mannered, that’s a good sign!” I noted.

Andy was smiling down at the dog and then exchanged a look with Jon. They had what seemed to be a silent conversation passing between them before Jon clapped his hands once.

“How about you start tomorrow?”


	2. In The Woods Somewhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella starts her first day working with Elwood. While spending time with the dog, she learns a shocking bit of info on Andrew and who he is.

###  Chapter 2: In the Woods Somewhere 

I woke up to the Discordant screeching of my alarm the next morning. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes I rolled over and checked my phone as was my morning routine. I usually lay in bed for at least another 15 minutes checking my socials while my brain took its time adjusting to being a part of reality again. I had a missed text from Andrew. He had given me both his number and Jon’s in case I needed them during my time with Elwood and I had tried not to seem too overly excited about the idea of having that gorgeous man’s phone number.

**Andrew**  
Sorry it’s so late…er…. Early. Was just texting to let you know that I will be a bit busy when you come to get Elwood today, feel free to let yourself in.  
4:26am

_4 in the morning,Christ, does this man sleep?_

**Stella:**  
Noted. Thanks! You won’t know im there :)  
7:15am

I stood and grabbed my robe from the chair in the corner of my room and grabbed a towel, heading to get my morning started with a shower when I heard my phone buzz. Andrew. He really must not sleep.

**Andrew:**  
How unfortunate.  
7:17am

I felt heat flush my cheeks. Well then… I decided to take that as a good sign. I set my phone to play one of my favorite spotify playlists and hopped into the shower, letting the heat and steam wash away the remaining bits of sleep that were clinging to me while I sang along with Glitter & Gold by Barns Courtney. By the time I had gotten completely clean, I was wide awake and ready to take on the morning. Unfortunately, today was Tuesday. Which meant that I actually had class today. I had made the bright choice to try and squish all of my classes into Tuesdays and Thursdays so I would have Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays available to work. It seemed like a great idea at the time, however I didn’t schedule enough time in between those classes for lunch so I always had to pack food or I would be eating my desk by mid afternoon.

Letting my hair air dry into random waves and curls, I quickly applied makeup, got dressed in black leggings, Black converse, and a knee length olive-green dress. Finishing the look off with a Leather Jacket and Wide rimmed black hat, I grabbed my lunch that I had prepared from the refrigerator and practically skipped out the door, locking it behind me.

The morning passed rather quickly, surprisingly. It’s funny how quickly time passes when you realize how little of it you have to yourself. A 10 minute break between classes was only time enough to grab a snack from a vending machine or sprint halfway across campus to my next course. I liked learning. That helped as well. However, it did not help with my direction in life. My problem wasn’t that I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do, it was that I wanted to do TOO many things. My major was still undeclared and my classes were a conglomerate of several subjects, each more intriguing than the next. I had taken a Psychology course when I had decided I wanted to be a counselor. After that was a Geology and Dinosaur’s course… ya know… for if I ever wanted to travel the world studying rocks and arguing over the uses of Iguanadon’s thumb spike. Or if it even had one. At Noon was my Anthropology course. For if I wanted yet another reason to see the world.

I know what it sounds like. I’m a disaster. There are just too many things I want to do. Out of all of them, though, one thing I knew for sure is that I would not be average at anything I do. I always strive to put 110% into everything I do and make sure I leave any project I work knowing it is something I would be proud to put my name on. The one common thread with all of the career paths I wanted, they all involved people, and they all involved travel. Which I find ironic because I would consider myself the ultimate observer. People are great. I find them fascinating and I love being around people, but I wouldn’t consider myself an extrovert. An Ambivert at best. Something else I’d just have to figure out.

I walked to my car after class and checked my phone again. Why? I have no idea. No texts, of course. I’m not sure why I was slightly hoping for one? I mean… I hadn’t texted Andrew back this morning. At this point it would be far to weird to. And what would I even say? I was about to head over there anyways so definitely not texting him now. Nope. Tossing my phone into my bag I started my car and the radio started, a bouncy tune I hadn’t heard in a while and I hit the road, thankful for the longest part of the day was over. The scenic route to the countryside was much welcomed as I rolled the windows down, letting the wind whip through my hair. Which.. I immediately regretted as soon as I pulled into the drive of the looming country home. My hair was an absolute disaster. I ran my fingers through it and tied it up in a messy bun to try to make it look as if I had done this on purpose. I checked my rear view mirror. I think I could pull it off.

Remembering the text from this morning, I let myself in the front door. Closing it softly behind me as I wasn’t sure what he meant by “busy” so I didn’t want to be too loud announcing my arrival. Taking a step forward I nearly jumped out of my skin as I heard the sudden sound of drums followed shortly by a rising and falling melodic guitar line. It sounded lovely so I quietly followed the direction of the sound. It led me up the stairs and down the hallway to a sitting room where Andrew sat with a guitar and two other men, one holding a bass and the other on drums And of course Elwood right by his feet as he sang.

True that love in withdrawal was the weeping of me  
That the sound of the saw must be known by the tree  
Must be felt ‘fore the fight that calls  
Threatened fire but that was long ago  
And its not tonight.—

He was cut off by the other men who sang a chorus of “OooH oh oh ohh” behind him. Which he stopped them almost immediately after.

“Alex, a bit late on that one. let’s try it again.” He said quietly as he started to count them off again but stopped when he saw Elwood stand at attention and start wagging his tail at me.

All the eyes in the room turned towards me and I balked.

“Oh um, hi. I’m just—” I stuttered awkwardly. “Here for Elwood.” I finished mouthing “sorry” and wincing, sorry for interrupting.

A smile crept over his face and amused laughter sparked in his eye.

“That’s quite alright, I figured you would be up here anyways since he hasn’t quite left my side. Needy lad isn’t’ he?” he assured me. “Guys this is Stella. Stella, this is Alex and Rory.”

I gave them a small wave. “Nice to meet you. You guys sound great.” I patted my knee, calling Elwood to me. “I’ll get this guy out of your hair for a bit.” I said pulling out the leash. 

One look at the leash and the dog ran over to me, tail wagging, ready to go outside and play. As I was attaching the leash, he counted them off again and they started the set again. When I stood his eyes were boring into me with a small smile playing upon his lips as he played the playful guitar reel, starting the song again. I smiled back and let Elwood guide my back down the stairs to the back door, the sounds of drums and a melodic voice begging me to come back to listen. I ignored that tug and headed out into the back yard which was just as beautiful as the front. A Pool sat in the middle of a court yard with tables tucked into archways where the walls were covered in ivy. It was absolutely breathtaking. Elwood, however, did not want to stop in awe of the architecture. He made a bee line for a pathway leading out into a wooded area, a well worn path was marked in the grass. I followed his lead and we went on a scenic walk through the woods which opened up to a lightly wooded area surrounding a pond. There were wooden benches, so clearly this was a place he probably came to often. 

Elwood was eagerly sniffing around, and excited to be out and about. His pulling at the leash signaled to me that I needed to wear this pup out. I picked up the pace of my walk to a jog and decided to jog a lap around the large pond. Elwood keeping pace beside me, his tongue lolling out to the side excitedly. The physical activity felt nice and before I knew it, we had made our way around the entire pond. I stopped to catch my breath and take in the slowly warming spring air. I realized I had completely forgotten to ask Andy if Elwood was allowed to be off of his leash. Sure, he had a lot of land out here and im sure the dog wouldn’t bug anyone, but some dogs bolt at the sight of a squirrel. Glancing down at the panting dog, he looked like he was about ready to chill in the shade anyways. Taking that as my cue, I made the trek back through the woods to the house. No longer hearing the sounds of music coming out through the windows. 

Opening the door and walking inside, The guys were all in the sitting room chatting and got quiet once they heard Elwood’s nails on clicking in after me. He took a look at Andrew, let out a little “boof” before walking over to his bed and laying down with a tired huff. I gave him a treat and patted his head.

“Looks like someone had a good time, eh?” Andrew said with a chuckle noting Elwood’s tired state.

“Yea, took the guy on a bit of a run. Your property is quite lovely actually. I wasn’t sure if I could take him off the leash or not so I just let him run with me” I explained. 

“Well have a seat! Kick back a bit” Alex said patting the space next to him on the couch. 

“Would you like a drink?” Andrew asked as I was sitting down next to Alex. 

“Oh, no. I’m fine thank you.” I was actually dying of thirst but I didn’t want to be a burden and ask for a drink. He raised an eyebrow at me.

“I’ll go grab you a glass of water.” He stood and towered over me, calling my bluff immediately. I’m a terrible liar. 

He returned a moment later and handed me the glass. I thanked him and took a long much needed sip. 

“Well, you drank the water, guess that means you have to stay in this realm.” Rory joked. 

“Uh….?” I hoped my confusion was written as plainly on my face as I felt it. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Andrew rolled his eyes and Alex laughed. 

“You didn’t know? Andrew is Hades.” Alex said.

“So what, does that make me? Persephone?” I asked

“Nah, Alex is actually Persephone,” Andrew said tossing a pillow at him. “He’s got the long locks” he added pointing to Alex’s long hair. 

“What a beautiful couple.” I said through stifled laughter. “So I have nothing to worry about then.” I took another long drink from the glass.

“His fan’s call him that.” Alex explained, noting that I didn’t look any less confused. 

“Ohhhh are you guys well known around the pubs and such?” I asked and Alex let out a roaring laugh. 

“Uh, yea something like that.” Andrew said quietly. I could tell he felt just as embarrassed as I did right now. I could tell his friends were certainly trying to talk him up which kinda flattered me that they would want to do that in my presence. 

“Yea, he’s got a few bops. Ya know, Take Me to Church and all that jazz” Rory said through a grin. 

_Wait….that sounds familiar….._  
It was then that I noted the framed Vinyls on the wall with the name Hozier on them. 

_Oh. Fuck._


	3. Oh, To Be Alone With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella deals with the awkwardness of just now realizing she has been in the presence of Hozier the whole time. Later that evening, she has to attend to a doggie crisis.

###  Chapter 3: Oh, to be alone with you

I felt like a complete asshole. 

“Hozier.” I stated, realization dawning on my face.

Andrew gave me sheepish smile of confirmation, seemingly not enjoying the realization. 

“Well, uh. I had no idea.” I chuckled awkwardly “I mean, don’t get me wrong. I know your music. Quite enjoy it actually I just uh….Don’t really know faces? If that makes sense” 

Alex’s shit-eating grin was beaming next to me. 

“No offense taken here.” Andrew gave me a polite smile.

Wow yea I was an asshole. I took a quiet sip of the water I was drinking to hopefully have an excuse for the silence in the room. I remember Take Me to Church being a huge hit and I had devoured his self titled album that it came along with but I was never the type to pay attention to pop culture or look up my favorite artists for fear of being disappointed if their personality didn’t match their music. I had made that mistake once before with a certain… band who I won’t name. I looked up to them and memorized every song. My dad had taken me to a local music festival that they were headlining at and boy were my hopes and dreams crushed. They had the biggest egos, terrible attitudes, and even tried to start fights with a few members of the audience. It was a disaster. And I immediately went home and threw every CD and t shirt I had of them in the trash. 

“To be fair, the album cover kinda… ya know… didn’t have your face on it” I said quietly. Andrew’s small smile cracked and he let out a loud laugh, his head thrown back as he was attacked by a fit of laughter.

The laughter broke the tension in the air and joined in on the laughter. The absurdity of this whole situation finally taking over me. Here I was in the presence of a musician who had gotten me through hard times and we were exchanging pleasantries as if it were an every day occurrence that this could happen. And better yet, I had no idea. 

“Yes,” he said between laughs “my mother painted the cover.” 

“Yea, good thing she covered that mug, aye?” Alex teased. 

“Well, I do always say that you bring up the attractiveness level of the group, Alex” Andrew said with a playful wink. 

Alex ran a hand through his hair, playing up the cockiness factor of the compliment. The awkward tension in the room had broken, thankfully and I felt less bad about not knowing who he was and all of the dots were finally connecting in my head. He needed a dog sitter since he would be away often and it makes sense since he probably has a show or something coming up. 

“So the song from earlier?” I asked, realizing I had never heard it before. 

“New. I’m working on my second album. We’ll be pitching some of the songs to my label in a few weeks so just getting some practice in.” He explained.

“I liked it.” I said enthusiastically.

“Then I have no doubt it will be a hit” Andrew smiled, his eyes not leaving mine causing color to bloom on my cheeks. 

“And if you tell anyone, of course, we will have to drag you down into the underworld. Ya know, its in the contract. I don’t make the rules” Alex quipped 

I rolled my eyes and stood, realizing that It was getting late and I was starving after my long day of classes. 

“Well, I’d better get going. It was great to meet you guys, I’m sure I will be seeing you around of course. “ I said awkwardly. I wasn’t quite sure how to behave anymore and I wanted to kick myself for it. 

“Mind if I walk you out?” Andrew asked. 

“Uh…. Sure. Thank you.” I accepted. 

He grabbed my glass from me and I followed him to the kitchen where he placed it in the sink. He then opened the front door for me and walked me all the way to my car and opened that door as well. I was baffled by how polite he was being. I can’t even remember the last time anyone opened a door for me. Once I got in the car he kneeled to eye level with me and thanked me again for taking such good care of Elwood.

“Oh, it was nothing.” I replied. I literally play with dogs for a living, how could that ever be a burden?

“Well, I know this was sort of a trial run, ya know, to see if he liked ya and what-not but I think you seem like a great fit. I’d like to keep you hired, if that’s alright with you” I would probably never get over how soft his voice was. 

“Ummmm of course! Thank you so much!” I enthusiastically replied. Who was he kidding?! Did he honestly expect me to say no to a gig like this?

“Great! Eh wonderful, really. We will work out all the terms tomorrow, yea?” he asked.

“Perfect.” I smiled.

“Do me a favor, let me know when you get home, OK?” he asked

I agreed and we said our goodbyes and I started the car and made my way down the long driveway off of the property. Glancing in the rear view mirror, he stood arms crossed and waited until I pulled onto the main road before turning and going back inside. It wasn’t quite dark out yet, but dusk. I was honestly still taken aback by the small things that he does from opening the door to making sure I got out safely. Things you don’t see anymore, I suppose. I had plans to do some serious research when I got home. I did not want to catch myself slack jawed again. 

I had just made it back into the city when my phone started ringing. I answered the call via the blue tooth speakers in my car (Safety first, of course) and we met with Joelle’s frantic voice. 

“Ok I know its your day off and im so so so so sorry but can you please come by the shop? I’m closing and someone never came back by to pickup the dog they dropped off earlier for grooming and he wont let me near him without growling and he’s causing a huge mess.” She began to explain more and I cut her off. 

“No worries, im in the city now I can be there in 3 minutes.” I assured her. She thanked me for what felt like the millionth time and hung up the phone.

I had already passed the shop so I made a quick U-turn and headed back there. Not sure that was legal but… oops. Oh well. It wasn’t but a few moments later and I was pulling into my parking spot behind the shop, and scurrying through the back door. I heard barking from the grooming room and made my way to the front of the store where Joelle stood trying to clean up a mess of treats that had been knocked over. I immediately bent down and started helping her pick up all the small pieces.

“Ok, So fill me in. Where is the dog, and what’s the situation with him?” I asked

“Well, uh… some woman came in this morning and paid to have him groomed. Nails, hair, bathed, etc. She said she would be back at 3 and she never showed back up! And all of our kennels are booked so we have nowhere to put him.” 

“You got her contact info, right?” I asked warily.

“Of course! It’s just been so hectic I haven’t been able to call her.” She explained sheepishly. 

“Alright, no worries. Close up the front here and give her a call, I will go check on the dog.” I stood, slipping an apron on over my clothes and filled it with treats, hoping to bribe the dog into calming down. His barks were causing all of the other dogs that were in their kennels to bark and howl back and I think the mayhem of it all caused Jo to just… panic? I guess.

The door to the grooming room was a Dutch door, thankfully. The top and bottom half of the door opened separately. So I was able to open the top half of the door and peek in the room first and still had a barrier between me and the dog. My mouth hung open in shock when I saw the dog across the room. He was a large black Great Dane/Lab mix and he was pacing back and forth across the room. He was HUGE. 

“Hey Jo, What’s the dog’s name on his paperwork?” I called back at her.

“Uhhh one sec….. “ Shuffling of papers “It’s Tom!” she relayed back to me.

At the sound of his name his ears perked up and she started to let out a “Boof” of a bark before I held my hand up and raised my voice.

“Hey! Tom! Enough of that.” I said sternly. He turned his head sideways at me, no doubt surprised at such a stern tone coming from someone as small as me. 

I held my hand out gently and waited for him to approach me so as not to spook him. He thought about it. Then immediately started barking again, keeping his distance from me. Geez who did I think I was, the animal whisperer? It was worth a shot at least. 

“Alright, alright. Enough. Sit!” I demanded and to my surprised he actually sat right down. 

Well, at least he was trained. That was good news. I grabbed a treat from my apron and tossed it to him since he actually listened to me. He snapped it from the air and began chewing, his tail starting to wag. Once he finished eating I held my hand out for him again to sniff. He was slow about it, but eventually he got the nerve up to come and sniff my hand. I willed myself to be calm and he licked my fingers. 

“Good Boy, Tom!” I said soothing and reached up to rub his head. He pushed his muzzle into my hand and his tail started to wag, thumping the ground happily. 

“Now… What are we going to do with you.” I thought aloud. We only had one small kennel available and he was far too big for that. Looking around the room, The only thing that was in here were tables, brooms, and our tools for cutting hair and nails. I would have to get those out of here if I was going to let him stay in here tonight. 

“I’ll be right back” I said petting Tom’s head again. Before walking off and heading into the sun room. We had large dog beds and toys in here, but it was open the the rest of the store, save for a doggy gate which wasn’t meant for overnight holding. I grabbed a few toys and a big dog bed and dragged it behind me back to the grooming room. Tom was leaning his head over the door and I let out a laugh. He was so big that he looked like a horse sticking his head out of a stable. I tossed a few toys into the room and he happily ran after them. 

“Now Stay.” I commanded firmly “Sit.” He obeyed, chew toy squeaking in his mouth. 

I slowly opened the bottom half of the door just an inch and waited, to see if he would try to escape. He didn’t. He stayed at the other end of the room as I opened the door all the way, and dragged the dog bed in, closing the bottom half of the door behind me. I placed the dog bed in a corner and held out my hand. Slowly making my way over to the tools on the counter. He eyed me warily, but continued to munch on his toy happily. I grabbed the tools and walked back over to the door, Calling for Joelle. It wasn’t but a minute before she appeared at the door. Tom let out a little “Boof” at her but went back to playing with a toy. 

“Wow, he’s calm now.” She said surprised. 

“He was just scared, I think. And restless. Could you take these tools and set them behind the counter and then bring me a bowl of dog food and water? I’m going to keep him in here tonight. He can have this luxury sized room all to himself.” I said with a chuckle.

“Ok, I called the number that was left for his owner and no one answered so I left a voice mail for her to come and pick him up in the morning. Hopefully everything is okay.” She said while grabbing the tools. “I will be right back with the food.”

I walked back over to Tom, slowly, of course. This time he didn’t hesitate at all to nuzzle my hand. I grabbed a brush from one of the cabinets and Joelle returned with the food which I grabbed from her and placed in the middle wall of the room, so he would have plenty of access to it. 

“I’ve locked up the store, is there anything you need me to do before I leave?” She asked. 

“Uhh… nah. I think I’ve got it here. I will probably take him to use the bathroom before I leave, make sure he is all good first before heading out as well.” 

“Great, thanks so much for the help!” she hugged me over the door and left to gather her stuff and head home. 

Once I heard the door lock behind her I patted my thigh, calling the dog over to me. He wagged his tail and within just a few strides, he was at my feet. I pulled a leash from my apron and hooked it to his collar. Opening the door, I led him out of the room and into the back fenced in yard where we let the dogs run around and do their business. He quickly relieved himself, but I could tell he wasn’t too fond of the dark because as soon as he was done, he walked right back over to the door, waiting to be let back inside.

“You and me both, pal.” I said to him before letting him back inside, locking the door behind me.

Leading him back to the grooming room, I grabbed the brush from the counter again, closed the bottom half of the door, and started to brush his short coat, getting all of the loose hair off of him. He seemed to really enjoy the feeling because he started to push against me, laying down and leaning his weight against my legs. What a big baby he was. I chuckled and sat down on the doggy bed and continued to brush him. He was on his side and his tail continuously smacked the floor. He was okay now, thankfully, and definitely far from scary. The day started to catch up to me, I hadn’t yet eaten, but I was fully exhausted. Laying here on this giant doggy bed on the floor with a Great Dane, wasn’t as uncomfortable as it sounded. Clearly, Tom agreed as the thumping of his tail stopped as his breath started to get heavier and he dozed off, curled up in a ball next to me. My eyelids started to feel heavy, and before I knew it I, too had started to doze off. It didn’t even occur to me that this was probably not my best decision I had ever made…


	4. Russian Lullaby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella wakes up at the shop the next morning and realizes she made a terrible mistake by falling asleep there.

###  Ch. 4: Russian Lullaby

“What the hell are you doing?” 

A deep voice sounded. The sudden noise piercing through the thick fog of my slumber and pulling me back to the material realm. I opened one eye sleepily, leaving the other closed to enjoy the peace a little longer. Rick stood above me, leaning over the half opened dutch door. 

What the hell _was_ I doing?

Opening my other eye, I groggily took in the scene before me. I was curled up on a giant dog bed with none other than Tom, the Great Dane curled up beside me. Noticing me stirring awake, his tail started to wag, thumping on the ground happily as I stirred. The previous night’s events came back to me suddenly as my stomach began to growl. Fuckk I had forgotten to eat. 

“I uh… I guess I fell asleep. Instead of going home.” I rasped, my vocal chords seemingly not yet getting the memo that I was awake yet. I pushed myself up to a sitting position and groaned when my sore back started to protest. Perhaps there was a reason this was a doggy bed and not a human bed. 

“Clearly. I take it this is Tom? Jo filled me in this morning” Rick said reaching an arm out and letting Tom sniff him. Tom stood up and whined, rubbing his head against Rick’s palm. 

“Yea thats him. What time is it? He probably needs to go out” I said feeling around my pockets for my phone. 

“Alright, come on, boy. I’ll take him out. You… go home and shower. Get some food in you. You’ve still got about 2 hours before your actual shift starts” Rick said with a chuckle as he opened the door, leading Tom out. 

Finally finding my phone it was completely dead. I had no idea what time it was but since Rick said I had 2 hours it had to be about 6ish in the morning. I groaned and stood up. 

“Yea. Good idea. I’ll be back” I said straightening my shirt and wiping the excess dog hair that Tom had so endearingly left all over me. 

I gave up trying to brush the hair off. It really didn’t matter since my clothes were wrinkled with that “freshly slept in” look. I’m sure my hair and makeup looked just as divine. I made my way to the restroom and one glance in the mirror told me that my assumption had been correct. Luckily, my makeup from the day before didn’t look too bad. My eye liner had given me a bit of dark circles under my eyes, however. I grabbed a paper towell and ran it under running water in the sink. Once it was damp, I ran it under my eyes, scrubbing the eyeliner residue away making me look more human-ish and less racoon-ish. The hair… well…. I quickly braided it and finished it with a hair-tie that I had around my wrist. Thankfully I had a bad habit of wearing them after taking them out because now I was starting to look more human.

I was knocked out of my observance by a knock on the front door of the store. We weren’t open yet so I had no idea who would be here at this hour. Remembering Rick was out back with Tom, I scurried out of the bathroom and to the front to answer the door. 

“Coming, coming” I muttered under my breath, hearing the urgency of the knocking. 

Looking through the glass I saw a tall figure of a man, hands cupped over his face and nose pressed against the glass peering in. The face of the man that I recognized instantly. It was Andrew. 

“Oh, shit. Hold on!” I shouted. Running over and unlocking the door. 

He stepped back as I fiddled with the lock and crossed his arms. Finally I got the door open and beheld the sight of him, standing there. He was wearing Doc Marten’s and a well fitted pair of blue jeans. Over that, a red flannel button up T shirt. His hair was tied up in a bun. I smiled at the small tendril of hair that hand managed to escape the hair tie and hung loose around his face. My smile quickly faded when I noticed he did not smile back at me. Oh shit. I knew exactly what I had done wrong. 

“Um… Can I help you with anything? Is Elwood okay?” I asked innocently, hoping my hunch was incorrect and that he was just in town. At 6 am. Sure. 

“I uh… Well.” He started quietly. His eyes softening when he noticed my wrinkled clothing that he had seen me in the night before. “I was just.. A bit worried? I suppose?” he said it almost like a question. As if he wasn’t sure if those were the appropriate words in this situation. “When I didn’t hear that you had gotten home safely I got a bit worried. Ya know.” He said squinting as the reflection of the sun hit the glass door and reflected back at him. 

_Man, make this the second time I've made myself look like a total asshole in front of him in less than a 24 hour period._

“I’m so sorry! It’s just, my phone died and there was a crisis here at the shop and I had to help close and I completely just… fell asleep here.” I trailed off. 

I could see his shoulders relax a bit. Which, I found odd because clearly I was standing right in front of him. He knew that I was okay because he could see me but clearly something else had been burdening him. 

“Right. Er. Well… I have Elwood with me.” He gave me a sheepish smile. 

Looking behind him I noticed the only other car in the parking lot besides Rick’s, Elwood had his head stuck out the window, tongue lolling out.

“Oh, did you need me to take him early?” I asked.

He lifted his arm and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, tilting his head at me. 

“Well, No. Really I was just going to check and see that you were okay. I don’t actually have your address so this was the only place I knew to look. And since I would already be in town…” he trailed off.

Oh, so he _did_ want me to watch Elwood. Duties calling early I suppose. 

“Would you maybe want to get breakfast with me?” he asked finishing his thought. 

My heart dropped. Not in the bad way, but in the good way. The good type of like… oh-crap-is-this-really-happening sort of way. 

“Wow. Absolutely. Sure! I mean. If you want.” I excitedly agreed.

A smile spread across his face, “Great.” 

“Wait, crap.” I began, his smile faltering a bit. “I was actually going to head home and kinda shower. Ya know. Put on some fresh clothes. I slept with Tom last night and I really don’t want to go out in what I wore yesterday”

He froze, raising an eyebrow at me. 

“”Oh, shit, no. Not like that. Crap. Tom is—” I stuttered realizing how embarrassing this sounded “Tom is a dog. A Great Dane. I literally slept on the floor with a Great Dane last night. It’s a long story” 

His smile returned and he quickly doubled over with laughter steadying himself with his hands on his knees. His laughter was such a care-free sound I couldn’t help but join in. The rays of the early sun were shining through his hair, highlighting the red undertones that were hidden in his brown strands. Honestly, He looked divine doubled over with such joy. It immediately brightened my mood. 

“Well,” he said through subsiding laughter “You’re right. We wouldn’t want you going to breakfast with Andy with Tom still all over ya, now would we?” he said with a wink. 

I gave him a playful shove and stepped outside with him, closing the door to the shop behind me. 

“You could come to my place if you’d like? So you aren’t just waiting around here. I could grab a quick shower and we could get food then? If you don’t mind that is. I can absolutely rain check if you wanted I mean I get you’re a busy guy and all—” 

“That sounds lovely.” He cut me off. I don’t blame him. I was rambling and letting my nervous train of thought ride away with me. He gave me a small smile and then gestured toward his car. “After you, dear.” 

I smiled and walked a bit ahead of him towards his car and then he was there, opening the door for me. His long legs easily out-striding me and reaching the car before me without so much as making it look like he was hustling. Elwood hopped in the back seat as soon as the door opened and I got in, buckling myself in and reaching back to rub his head. By then, Andrew had walked around and slid into the drivers seat and was putting on his seatbelt. I gave him my address and he typed it into his GPS and started the car. As soon as the engine purred to life, _“Russian Lullaby”_ by Ella Fitzgerald soared through the speakers. The solemn yet beautiful voice was just one of those that made you want to weep with the richness that you could feel in it. Or almost that sweet feeling you get when when you take a bite of really damn good food that no one can make quite like your mother does. A sense of nostalgia washed over me

“Wow, I love that song.” I said barely above a whisper once the song ended. Almost as if I was afraid to break the memory of the notes that still hung in the silence. 

“It’s timeless.” He agreed. “It always gets me in a sentimental mood, actually” he said with a smile. 

“You seem to have pretty good taste in music.” I noted as another voice came through the speakers. A woman’s voice I couldn’t quite recognize but held about an equal amount of feeling and power as the previous song. “What is this?” 

“ _God is A Woman,_ ” He smirked, sneaking a glance over at me. “Rett Madison”

“Holy Shit. She is good. I have never heard of her” I was astounded. 

“She’s small. Fairly new. I stumbled across this song one day on spotify and couldn’t stop listening to it” he remarked.

“Disappointed it wasn’t the Ariana Grande song?” I said laughing. 

“How did you know?” That laugh again. 

The drive wasn’t too far from the shop. Before I knew it he was pulling into my driveway. When we got to a stop, I turned to grab Elwood’s leash and hook it onto his collar while Andrew hurried over to my side of the car and opened the door for me. I thanked him and stepped out of the car, grabbing Elwood’s leash and letting him out behind me. He closed the door behind me and I led him to the front door. He grabbed Elwood’s leash as I fiddled with the lock. 

“Is he able to come inside?” he asked, nodding at Elwood. 

I assured him he could, in fact he absolutely should. I didn’t have any pets, but I have been known to foster a pup or two while finding forever homes for them, So I had plenty of dog toys stashed in the spare bedroom. I set my bag and keys down on the counter in the kitchen. 

“Can I get you something to drink while you wait?” I asked.

“I’ll have water. No need to get it for me though, I can help myself if that’s okay. Go ahead and take your shower” he said with a reassuring smile. 

“Alright, Glasses are in the top left cabinet. Make yourself at home. I won’t take long.” 

I made my way into my bedroom, placing my dead phone on the charger hoping it will get a little bit of juice before I start my shift. I grabbed some clean clothes and a towel and slipped into the bathroom. Turning the water on, I waited to see the steam before undressing and stepping in and letting the water cascade over me. The hot water immediately made me feel human again. Usually, I would have music playing while I showered but where my time was limited, I took care of the basics, washed my hair and body and quickly finished my shower. I stepped out and dried myself off and got dressed in the clothes that I had picked out: Maroon colored jeans and a bell sleeved black blouse. I quickly blow dried my hair while I brushed my teeth, multi tasking at it’s finest. I made my way back to my bedroom and slipped on socks and a pair of vans, grabbed my phone, and headed back into the living room. 

Andrew was standing at my bookshelf, taking in all the titles I had stacked on the shelves. I paused and watched him look around at the art on the wall down to the crumpled paper on the coffee table. The look on his face was that of pure interest as he drank in the very essence of my living space. No inch of my living room wasn’t touched by his gaze. I smiled as I noticed he even paid attention to the framed photos of my family and I on the fireplace mantel. He looked so inquisitive. As if he was getting a motion picture of my every day life in his head just by glancing at the contents of my living room. I cleared my throat and smiled at him. He glanced up at me, noticing my presence and smiled.

“Ready to go?”


	5. Be as you've always been.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella has breakfast with Andrew and has to deal with the case of the mysterious stranger that left Tom, the Great Dane, at the shop the prior evening.

###  Ch. 5 Be as you've always been 

Arriving at the small cafe, Elwood was practically shaking with excitement from all of the smells coming from plates nearby. We had chosen a place that had a cute patio outside so we could enjoy the warming weather as well as have our canine third party member tag along with us to eat. Who of course, attracted quite a lot of attention. You would think that people had never seen a dog in public before. On the walk over from where we parked, we had been stopped by three different people asking if they could pet Elwood. When we had taken our drink orders, the waitress nearly fell over with excitement that there was a dog with us and asked if we wanted to order him something special as well. 

“Just some water will do for him, thank you.” Andrew had told her after we placed our orders.

Once she walked away I couldn’t hold back my laughter anymore.

“What might I ask is so amusing?” He asked, also holding back laughter 

“My god,” I said trying not to let the giggles overtake me again “you do realize how weird this is right?” 

“Uh…. Don’t get breakfast often?” He asked, clearly playing Naive

“The fact that I am getting breakfast with the mysterious Hozier, yet the only people we have been stopped by are people who want to pet your dog.” 

He let out a small chuckle and the waitress came back by, serving us our drinks. We both muttered our thanks and she gave Elwood another pat on the head as she poured water in a bowl for him. I raised an eyebrow at him as if to say “See?” and he practically spit his drink out as he was taking a sip. 

“Ok, ok” he said between laughs once she left “My dog is the real star.”

“Clearly.” I took a sip of my orange juice while side eyeing him. Ever the dramatic. 

“But in all honesty, I never mastered that… uh… rock star pizazz or whatever you’d like to call it.”

“The presence?” I asked for clarification.

“Yea, for sure. When I would meet fans I was always… idunno polite but awkward? Humbled, really. To me, it still feels off, ya know?”

“I could see that.” Glad to talk about the elephant in the room. I couldn’t pretend like there wasn’t a shift of energy between us once I had realized who he was. Honestly, I hated it. Not that there was ever any big energy between us to begin with, but just the fact that I had allowed that knowledge of who he was change how I acted briefly. Made me more nervous, more aware of my actions when it shouldn’t have shifted anything at all. He’s just a guy who happens to be well known for his talent. That’s all. 

“Plus, I’ve practically disappeared from the scene anyways.” He said rubbing Elwood’s head as he leaned against his thigh. 

I wasn’t sure how to how to respond. He definitely sense my hesitation and gave me a chuckle.

“Nothing like that. It’s not like a success thing. After my last album I spent about two years touring. It was great and I got to experience things I normally never would. I could have gotten a nice house in Los Angeles and cranked out another album but I decided against all that. Settled down in Wicklow and just learned to be myself again. Just be as I’ve always been.”

He was playing with a napkin on the table as he talked. Turning it in his fingers and ripping bits of it off only to crumble the pieces back together into a ball of paper.

“That’s rare,” I began “having the opportunity to have it all but preferring to be your most authentic self. I dig it” 

He made a gesture waving it off “Eh, enough about me. Tell me about you.” 

He leaned is head into his palm as his elbow rested on the table. I had his full attention as he looked at me expectantly and I hadn’t the slightest clue how to answer that. To be honest, that was one of my least favorite questions. When I would go home to visit family that was always one of the questions I got. Tell me about school. Tell me about your plans after school. On and on. 

“Um… Well, What would you like to know?” I asked as our waitress came by and placed our food in front of us. I thanked her and practically licked my lips as I saw a feast in front of me compared to what I had eaten the last day… or more likely what I hadn’t eaten. 

“Is dog walking your passion?” He asked popping a fry into his mouth. 

“Definitely not. I love it, though. But no. I’d say passions are my passions” I said after swallowing my first bite of food in hours. 

He cocked an eyebrow at me which I totally missed as I was too engrossed in the food in front of me. I smiled and did a small little chair dance as I ate, clearly pleased. I hadn’t even noticed I was doing it until I heard his laughter through a napkin as he wiped his mouth. 

“Hey, I was starving don’t judge me!” I fake gasped

“I would never.” He put a hand on his chest as if he was wounded that I would ever suggest anything of the sort. I rolled my eyes and took another bite of my food, minus the chair dance this time. 

“So, uh…. Passions, eh?” he said with a grin. 

“Not like that! More like… Well” I thought about it for a second “Yea, well that could be included too but thats not what I meant.” 

“Enlighten me.” 

“I just meant that I love everything that brings passion to people. I want to do it all. I want to paint, I want to write, travel, teach, be taught. I really don’t have a plan. Just kinda going where the wind takes me until I can figure it out.” I explained.

“Wow.” He looked impressed. “You must be incredibly talented.”

“Not at all.” I said with a laugh “In fact I dabble in everything just enough to be mediocre at it. Kinda like that whole Jack of all trades, master of none type deal.” 

“Stella,” He mused. Saying my name as if he was testing how it sounded on his tongue “Stella the professional hobby collector. I quite like it” 

_Shit._

I liked it too as long as he kept saying my name like that.

I shook off the intrusive thought with a laugh. We finished breakfast with light conversation and before I knew it, it was time for me to get back to the shop. When our bill came, Andrew and I both grabbed for it at the same time, him being a tad bit quicker than me.

“Please, let me. If for anything other than to thank you for letting me take up most of your morning.” He said as I began to protest. 

I reluctantly agreed but assured him it really was no burden at all and I enjoyed the morning. Our bill was settled and in minutes we were back in his car, headed towards the shop. He pulled into the parking lot 5 minutes before I was supposed to clock in and practically sprinted to the other side of the car to open the door for me before I could get to it. 

“Was that necessary?” I laughed at him since he practically tripped along the way. 

“Absolutely.” He said with a flourish of his hand as he held it out for me. I rolled my eyes taking his hand and letting him help me out of the car, making sure to thank him once he closed the door behind me. 

“Do you need me to keep Elwood early?” I asked. 

“If you’d like. I am going to be out and about running some errands today and I could swing by and grab him later. Could save you a trip.” 

“Sounds great! I’m sure he will make a friend or two while he is here” I patted my thigh and called Elwood over to me, clipping on his leash once he was close. 

“Well it was a pleasure having breakfast with you. Try not to sleep here tonight.” He said with a wink as he got back in his car. I stuck my tongue out at him and waved. Waiting until he pulled off to head inside the store. 

Walking inside, Rick immediately gave me side eye as I walked in with the dog. 

“Handsome man that was dropping you off. Is this his dog?” He asked ruffling the fur on his head, getting Elwood excited for the new attention he was getting.

“He is and yes, this is Elwood. He’s gonna be hanging around with me for a little bit today.” I explained. Unclipping his leash and letting him sniff around and get a feel for the place. 

“So…. ?” He looked at me expectantly. 

“Sooooooo Andrew is a new client. Elwood is his dog. Anyyyyways…. Is Tom still here?” I asked wanting to quickly change the subject. 

“Unfortunately. He’s in the sunroom enjoying some play time. I couldn’t find the paperwork for his owner to give her a call. Do you happen to know where Joelle put it?” he asked.

I didn’t have a clue. 

“No, but I can look around and see if she set it down somewhere. Girl was a mess, I feel bad.” I said. 

Rick shrugged and I began the search for the paperwork. I walked back into Rick’s office and decided I would start there. Technically it was his office but he always kept the door open for us here. Especially if we needed to make phone calls we would rather keep private instead of in the store front. I figured maybe this is where she would have left the paperwork since it was late and she was closing the store alone. 

“Found it!” I shouted. 

It was where I assumed it would be, right next to the office phone. A normal person would have put it in the binder where all our current records were but Jo in her panic probably left it in here after she called the owner. The number written on the paper work was…. Sloppy to say the least. As if it had been written in a hurry. I couldn’t tell if the last number was a 7 or a 1 but I was leaning more towards it looking like a 1. Giving the number a dial ending with 1, the call went straight to voicemail.

“Hi this is Breanna, I’m not available to take your call right now.” The voice message played on but the name on the paperwork was definitely not Breanna, it was Trish. 

I hung up the phone and redialed the number, this time ending with a 7. It rang twice then a man’s voice answered.

“Hi! My name is Stella, I’m calling for Trish Bardugo?” I asked, hoping this was actually the right number.

“Have you seen her?” he asked, tension in his voice. 

“Umm…. No. No I haven’t. May I ask whom I’m speaking with?” I asked.

“Sorry, this is her brother, Alex. She hasn’t come home so we have been a bit worried about her.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that.” I said. 

I couldn’t imagine how worried they must feel right now. I explained the situation and told him that Tom was still at the shop. He thanked me and said that he would come right over to pick him up. I was hesitant to agree but advised him that he would need to bring forms of ID so we could verify he was who he said he was. After getting off of the phone, I found Rick giving some treats to Elwood and explained the phone conversation I had just had. 

“That’s weird… So she just dropped her dog off and left? Instead of giving him to her family? I don’t know how I feel about that Stell.” He said leaning back against the counter and crossing his arms over his chest.

I bit my lip wracking my brain over what we should do. 

“The paperwork doesn’t say anyone else can pick him up, though. Should we contact the police?” I asked. 

“I mean, if this girl is missing, I don’t see why not. For all we know this could just be some domestic dispute and it is none of our business.”

“Then maybe he could just pay for Tom’s boarding for a few more days? If we don’t have room I can keep him at my place. I don’t want us to get in any legal trouble releasing someone’s dog to someone without their consent.” 

“Yea, let me go make a quick call to my lawyer real quick and see what step we should take next. We’ll see how Tom acts when he gets here.”

“Ok, good point. And I’ll do a quick search online for any missing person reports. I mean, they would have had to report it by now right?” I wondered aloud while getting my phone out. 

Today was going to be a long day, I could already tell.


	6. I'll have the postman drawn and quartered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella and Andrew get more comfortable and begin regularly texting each other. Could this be the possible beginning of a great friendship or something more?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! i just wanted to put a quick note up here that i am SO thankful for all of the feedback i have been getting on this story! I am going to be trying to keep a regular schedule of uploading EVERY sunday!! If i am feeling extra inspired i will put out a second chapter on Wednesdays. So far i have been pretty regular on the two uploads a week. Thank you for all your comments and kind words. now, enjoy the chapter. ;)

###  Ch. 6 I'll have the postman drawn and quartered 

Walking in the door of my apartment, I kicked off my shoes before haphazardly tossing my purse and keys onto the coffee table. 

“Jesus get me out of these things” I said aloud to no one as I left a trail of clothing all the way to my bedroom. 

Shirt? Gone. Pants? SUPER gone. I changed into acceptable pajamas and collapsed onto my bed in an exhausted heap. After the last two days that I had just had, I wanted to sleep for a month but the pile of homework sitting at my desk was telling me that sleep wouldn’t be on the schedule for at least a few more hours. Luckily, Alex had made it to the shop to pick up Tom that evening. What he didn’t do, was rush. He took his sweet gentle time getting there. After a few hours had passed I was sure that he wasn’t going to show up either. It was about 10 minutes before my shift ended that he finally strolled in as if he didn’t have a care in the world. 

Relief had been written all over my face, I’m sure. This whole situation was so weird that I wasn’t sure whether I should have felt bad for the guy or maybe his sister was a usual disaster and this was a normal occurrence for him, who was I to judge? Not to mention, he wasn’t bad to look at either. He had told us that it took him a bit longer than expected because he had to find Tom’s adoption papers. 

“I wasn’t sure how much proof you guys would need, so here it is.” He had explained, laying it all out on the counter.

He had come prepared I’d give him that. ID, vet records, adoption papers. Luckily he had the same last name as his sister, so Tom was free to go home, finally, and so was I. 

Finally got the energy to plug my phone up, as it was dead yet again. I had only gotten to charge it for the small amount of time it took me to get ready this morning. Once I turned it on the phone buzzed the texts from the previous night were finally being delivered. I rolled over onto my side as I scrolled through them, making sure I didn’t accidentally pull the charger out of the wall. Of course, the only missed texts I had was from Andrew. 

**Andrew:**  
Evening! Just making sure you made it home alright. Elwood is still passed out, you really did a number on him.  
8:46PM

 **Andrew:**  
Heyyyyy Stella. I’m sure you’re asleep by now but if you could for my sanity, shoot me a text in the morning.  
11:39PM

I cringed. I felt bad for worrying the poor lad. Also a bit flattered that he checked up on me though. 

 

 **Stella:**  
Sorry again for worrying you. Thank you for breakfast this morning :)  
6:15PM

I felt a little bit of a flutter of butterflies when the typing dots popped up. A man that texts back in a timely manner is next level in my book. 

**Andrew:**  
All is well :) Thank you for joining me.  
6:16PM

I bit my lip, hesitating, trying to come up with something witty to keep a conversation flowing. After all, I realized I didn’t know much about Andrew. Was he a texty guy or was he as deep and mysterious as his music persona led me to believe. Like is he actually some mystical being that prefers vinyls and deep conversations over tea and doesn’t bother himself with such trivial things like texting and technology. I was snapped out of my reverie by a photo message being sent to me. It was a picture of Elwood and Andrew, but he had placed a pair of sunglasses on the dog as well as himself tilted ever so slightly down as if elwood was saying “How you doinn,?”

I let out a laugh. Oh no. He’s absolutely still a millenial. 

**Stella:**  
Wow. I.. Wow.  
6:20PM

 **Andrew:**  
Just letting you know what kind of party you’re missing out on this evening.  
6:21PM

 

 **Stella:**  
Party? Guess my invitation was lost in the mail ;)  
6:22PM

Oooooohhhh man. I sent a winky face. Was that too flirty? Just flirty enough? Should I even be flirting? What was wrong with me!?

I got up from the bed and headed to the kitchen. I really needed to finally get started on this homework. I had come up with a reward system for myself. I often worked with a glass of wine. Usually something sweet to treat myself with. Opening up the fridge I pulled out the chilled moscato that I had put in there last week, practically bouncing with excitement as I looked for a wine glass. I smiled as I stood on my tip toes and pulled a painted wine glass out of the cabinet. This glass was made at my 21st birthday. Most hit the bars at 21, I did not. I had only a few close friends over and they all brought various spirits and mixers while we painted personalized wine glasses and watched Tipsy Bartender tutorials on youtube. Ever the rebel I was. Unfortunately, after college most of us had gone our separate ways. Of course we keep up on social media but it seemed like actually getting together was harder than pulling teeth. 

Grabbing my phone from the charger, I settled down at my desk and poured myself a generous serving of wine. I suppose the distance was just part of growing up. These days most of my friends are people I have met through work. Thinking back on andrew I checked my messages again. 

**Andrew:**  
I’ll have the postman drawn and quartered. You have an open invite, dear.  
6:24PM

 **Stella:**  
Go easy on him, I do have a key to the house after all. Besides, I’m having an equally as fun if not more fun party over here  
6:36PM.

 **Andrew:**  
Pfft…. That’s absurd.  
6:40PM

I took a selfie with the wine glass and my opened study materials on the desk and sent it to him. 

**Andrew:**  
Wow, it’s clearly a madhouse over there. You are right.  
6:43PM

 **Stella:**  
You’re bang on about that. Don’t wait up. :P  
6:45PM

I was grinning like a fool by the time the texts stopped and not even a quarter of my homework had been completed. I plugged my phone back up and had decided to finally focus and get to work. Of course, I couldn't be expected to work without good music to listen to though, right? I spent the next 15 minutes looking for just the right playlist on spotify before realizing I was still procrastinating. 

“Get it together, Stella!” I said aloud to myself as I headed back to my desk. I took a minute to take in a deep breath and center myself before taking a hair tie from my wrist and tying my hair up into a bun. It was almost as if these small little adjustments would trigger my brain to finally realize it was focus time. Eventually it worked. I spent a solid 3 hours completing all of my classwork. By the time I had written the last word on the paper in front of my I was practically going cross eyed I was so tired. I stood and stretched, practically locked into a hunched over position for the past few hours had left me stiff and forgetting how to even use my limbs. 

I quietly padded into the living room to my front door, making sure it was locked for the night, turned off the lights, and grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen. The rest of my nightly ritual involved washing my face, brushing my teeth, and crawling under the covers finally. After spending the night on a dog bed, mine felt like what I assumed laying on a cloud would feel like. Soft and inviting. I reached over, turning off my bed side lamp and grabbed my phone one final time. 

**Stella:**  
Party’s over. I’m absolutely knackered. Good night <3  
10:30PM 

**Andrew:**  
Sleep well, dear.  
10:32pm 

I’m sure he calls all of his friends dear or darling but I couldn’t help but smile at the words on my phone. Setting my phone down I snuggled close and let sleep finally claim me. I wasn’t sure if it was from falling asleep with Andrew on my mind or if it was just because he was the last person I spoke to, but he was in my dreams. If you had asked me to relay what had happened in said dreams, I honestly couldn’t tell you. I just remember that he was there and that his laugh had echoed throughout my nocturnal state and reverberated warmth throughout my entire being. It’s odd, Sure he was a handsome lad but what I felt wasn’t like…. Romantic? I mean yes obviously he was a stunner but just something about being in his calm presence just felt comfortable. Like when I was near him my heart just would settle deep down into my chest and begin it’s slumber with me. 

My eyes fluttered open literal minutes before my alarm was set to go off. I actually loved when that happened. Most people complain that it’s a minute of sleep that they could have had but I would prefer to wake up naturally any day over being violently scared awake by an alarm. Today was another school day and after last night, I just wanted to get it over with. I trudged into the bathroom, wiping the sleep from my eyes and started my shower, giving it a few seconds to warm up while I picked my morning play list to listen to while I showered. I had a moment of curious clarity as I typed in “Hozier” into the search bar. Maybe I’d get reacquainted with his music so I wouldn’t be caught off guard again like I had the other day. I did promise myself that I would do my research after all. 

The drumstick count off tapped through my speakers and soon the familiar voice began crooning the lyrics of Jackie and Wilson. I smiled to myself as I climbed into the shower. 

_Lord it’d be great to find a place we could escape sometime._  
_Me and my isis growing black irises in the sunshine._  
_Every version of me dead and buried in the yard outside,  
_Sit back and watch the world go by.__

__

__

_____ _

_____ _

I shamelessly danced along while I washed my hair. Thankful for the textured tiles of the shower otherwise my chances of slipping would have skyrocketed. And how exactly would I explain that?

“Hi yes Andrew, sorry I can’t come and walk Elwood anymore because I slipped in the shower while dancing to your music and now all of my limbs are broken and I’m in the ER. Anyways, it’s been well!”

God that would be an absolute nightmare. 

Not so surprisingly, the rest of my morning passed rather quickly. I had made sure to pack plenty of snacks as usual. By mid day, I was beyond thankful for that because my stomach was punishing me for not eating breakfast this morning. I’m sure my neighbor sitting beside me in the lecture hall was terrified from the roars and growling coming from my stomach. It was even worse when I tried to quietly unwrap the poptart that I had stashed in my bag. Im not sure why all the snack foods that I had bought when I went to the store last were not “quiet room” friendly.

“Sorry” I mouthed quietly at the people around me as they gave me dirty stares. Hey, a girl’s gotta eat. 

After class, I practically jumped for joy when I checked my email and had gotten an alert that my last class of the day had been cancelled! That means I had time to stop for real food and I could swing by Andrew’s place a little early and pick up Elwood. Practically skipping to my car, I shot Andrew a text letting him know I was on the way over. I could have just come over, but I didn’t want to show up unannounced and, for his sake at least, catch him doing something embarrassing. About 30 minutes passed while I ate my lunch and he never texted back. Oh well, I tried right? I decided to go ahead and head over his way. After all, he did say I had a key and an open invite. What could possibly go wrong?


	7. Amazed and Amused

###  Ch. 7 Amazed and Amused 

I pulled into the drive of the farm home that was starting to get so familiar to me. Stepping out of the car I took in a deep breath and smiled. Today was the best weather that we’d had in well over a month. The sun was finally feeling warm on my skin as a spring breeze rushed passed me. Being this far out from the city gave me a better appreciation for the rolling hills and swaying grass that is more sparse in town. The beginnings of spring always put me in such a good mood that I practically skipped up to the front door of the home. I had never received a text back from Andrew so I decided to be courteous and at least knock on the heavy wooden door in front of me before using the house key. Just because I had access to the key, doesn’t mean it should be my first resort. 

I waited about a minute before knocking again after no response and put my ear to the door in case I was missing someone call “come in” from another room. No answer. Digging my key out of my pocket I slid it in the lock, carefully opening the door. I stepped in side and figured I better announce my presence just in case someone was indisposed. 

“Heyyy, it’s just me stella! I got out of class a little bit early.” No response. 

I figured he must be out running errands or working on something. I began to make my way into the living room, making sure to walk heavier than normal so my footsteps could be heard. I didn’t want to startle anyone. Glancing around, neither Elwood nor Andrew were around. I don’t think I’d dare check his bedroom.. That would be a bit much I think. I continued walking from room to room, looking for them with no luck. The only place left that I could look for him was his room but I was still reluctant to do so. I went back to the Foyer and made my way up the stairs. Stopping every few steps to admire the framed albums he had lining the wall. 

Some people have family photos in staircases but dear Andrew had Vinyls. Adorable. I walked into the sitting room at the top of the stairs and finally saw them. Andrew was stretched out along one of the couches, one long leg over the back and one arm hanging limply onto the floor. Fully clothed and completely and totally passed out. Elwood was laying on the floor next to him and raised his head when he saw me. He did that excited thing dogs do when they see someone they are really excited to see but don’t want to be too over dramatic. His ears flopped back and his tail wagged wildly, thumping the ground and he looked like he was torn between running up to me and loving me or rolling over onto his back so I could rub his belly while he stayed at Andrew’s side. 

I smiled leaned against the door frame, crossing my eyes in front of me. Even in sleep he was all arms and legs, I cant imagine that would be a comfortable place to sleep for someone as tall as him. I didn’t want to wake him so I crouched down and patted my knees quietly, beckoning Elwood to come closer so we could slip outside for his walk without waking him up. Elwood’s tail began to wag faster and his excited breathing soon became small whimpers as he was still battling with the decision to leave Andrew or come play. 

“No no noo shhhh. Sh shhh..” I tried to quietly hush him and calm him down.

Me speaking to him only excited him more as he finally stood up, his tail was now full on smacking Andrew in the face. Waking him up immediately. 

“What the hell—” Andrew mumbled before getting a face full of dog tail again. “Elwood!” 

“Sorry! Sorry! I was trying to get him without waking you!” I explained as Andrew started to spit out bits of dog hair that had flown into his mouth. 

He patted the dog and pushed his hind end down so he was in a sitting position and sat up, wiping the sleep from his eyes. Elwood leaned his whole body back against him and looked up at him fully pleased with his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth. 

“Oh… you lovable dope. It’s alright” he said mussing the top of his head before stretching and yawning. 

“Have a nice nap?” I asked smiling at him. 

He twisted his head from side to side and popped his neck, seemingly trying to remember what it was like to have a body again outside of the dream world. He looked up at me and chuckled while running a hand through his messy brown hair. 

“Yeaaa… was up late. Working on a few more songs for the album.” He held his wrist up and squinted at his watch checking the time. “You’re here a bit early.” 

“My last class was canceled and the weather is so nice so I decided to come grab Elwood a bit early and spend some time outside.” I explained. 

He turned and looked at the weather outside and nodded in agreement letting out another yawn. 

“It does look nice out. Mind if I join you? I need to join the land of the living at some point.” 

“Of course!” Outside I was calm, inside I was giddy and jumping for joy. 

“Alright then, cool. Let me just get ready” He said standing and adjusting his flannel shirt and brushing the wrinkles out of his jeans.

He walked into his room and put some shoes on before coming back out with two thumbs up “Ready!” he announced.

“Thanks for getting all dolled up for me, you shouldn’t have” I joked. 

“What can I say? I aim to please” he said running his fingers through his hair to put it in place instead of brushing it. 

I grabbed Elwood’s leash and hooked it to his collar. He was so excited about the outing that not only was his tail wagging but his whole back end was wagging. We made our way out the back door and Andrew paused as soon as we got in the courtyard and took in a deep breath with eyes closed. 

“I love the smell of the start of spring.” He commented once we began walking again towards the trail behind the house. 

We made our way down the trail, stopping briefly to let Elwood sniff whatever caught his fancy for a brief moment. It was nice to just walk in silence and enjoy the world around us. Usually dog walking was my recharge time. The bit of alone time that I can really reflect aimlessly without having to think about structure or my plans or my classes. Alone time to just… be. I peeked over at Andrew and he had his hands in his pockets, eyes cast upwards and ahead at the sky as we walked, clearly in his own world as well. I breathed a sigh of relief. 

It’s not that I don’t like his company, I do. In fact I’ve sort of been wanting more and more of it the longer I know him. It’s just that without that time to recharge I get tired easier and become a frantic mad woman. His company didn’t feel intrusive, though. It felt… comfortable. We trudged on and finally made it to the clearing with the pond. Andrew crouched down and unhooked Elwood’s leash and patted him on the head. He immediately put his nose to the ground and started sniffing everything he could find. As if he was on one of those old school game shows where you had to shop as much as possible before time was up, but in his case he had to sniff as much as possible before we could tell him it was time to go back home. I chuckled at the thought, earning a sidelong glance from Andrew as we made our way to one of the benches near the pond. 

“Care to share with the class?” He asked as we both took a seat. 

“Oh, I was just thinking about dog brains and how simple pleasures such as sniffing everything that crosses their path can bring them such joy.” 

“You don’t like sniffing things?” he asked.

“Well…. I mean yea. Good things like flowers and baked goods. Not all smells are good smells.” I explained. 

“Every smell, good or bad is an experience. And through smelling those smells you learn. What is good smelling to others may not smell as good to someone else.” He mused.

“How can you turn talking about smells into a poetic event?” I chuckled. 

He let out a loud laugh.

“I’m just saying, If I could travel around and smell all that there is to smell, good or bad, I’d be better off for it. I would have had countless learning experiences and when someone else says they smelled something I can confidently say I have smelled that same thing and boom: A connection is made.” He leaned back, lacing his fingers together behind his head and grinned the biggest shit-eating grin I have ever seen. 

I shook my head. Amazed and amused. 

“So then what is it about spring?” I asked. He gave me a questioning look. “You know, earlier. You said you loved the smell of the start of spring. Is the start more significant than the end?” I asked, expecting to stump him. 

“Oh, absolutely.” He scrunched his face up as if to convinced me that was common knowledge. 

“Enlighten me.” I said in the exact same tone as when he had said it to me the other day causing him to grin at me. 

“Well, The beginning of spring is jovial and sad at the same time.” 

“Sad? How so?” I asked. Playing with a few stray strings from the fraying ends of my long sleeved shirt. An odd fiddling habit that usually caused my clothes to deteriorate much quicker than they would on a normal basis.

“You know the story of Persephone and Hades?” he asked.

“You mean where Hades kidnapped her and made her his unwilling bride and doomed her to half a year in the underworld because she ate his food?” 

“Nah nah nah. That’s the story you learn as a young child. A cautionary tale to stay close to your parents. The real story is much more wholesome.” He sat up straight, focusing on the conversation at hand and no longer in la la land. 

“You see, Persephone was not actually her name. In fact, she was known as Kore. And she was destined to be another maiden like the ones who cared for her. The whole fertility and plant life was already taken care of by her mother. The gods were… troublesome to day the least. At least the ones of Olympus.” He continued. 

“What do you mean by that?” I asked crossing my legs underneath me and turning sideways so I was facing him. 

“Always fighting amongst themselves. Wondering who loves who more all the while their leader, Zeus, was sticking his dick in any fae, human, or deity that had a pulse. Infidelity everywhere, no wonder poor Demeter clung to Kore’s innocence.” He tutted his tongue. 

“So, Kore represents a sheltered woman with innocence and no real name.” I said more as a realization rather than a question. 

“Mhm. Exactly. When Hades brought her to the underworld he didn’t bring her as his slave, he brought her as his equal. He loved her and he was in awe of her hidden power. She brought hope and brightness to the citizens of the dead. She ruled as queen at his side and it was then that she earned her name, Persephone. She had found her own voice. And they lived happily together in her months with him.” He had a dreamy look about him.

“How can you be sure of that?” I asked.

“Zeus took how many lovers? All of the other gods took multiple lovers and wives. Hades and Persephone never had another. He never took another wife and she another husband. He didn’t just give her a platform to find herself, but she also brought humanity to him. Showed him love and showed him kindness, most did not do that.” 

It did sound nice with that new perspective. Hades did not own her, he strengthened her and let her see her inner power on her own terms rather than to live in her mothers shadow, destined to be a nameless maiden. 

“Death is everyone’s master. We will all meet it eventually. Having a queen such as her to rule their domain and comfort the souls as they passed from the land of the living is quite sweet, don’t you think?” he asked. 

I hadn’t notice how close we had gotten as the conversation had progressed, each of us inching closer, fully enthralled with the tale of such a dark love. This close I could see red undertones in his hair as sunlight shone through them. He smell was a deep woodsy scent that nearly intoxicated me. I looked up at him noticing he was looking at me too and my heart didn’t freeze, but began to beat faster as his eyes fluttered down to my lips then back to me. I could read the unspoken words in his eyes at he looked at me, practically begging me to come closer. 

So, I did.


	8. Ch. 8: Sharp and Glorious Thorn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella and Andrew continue their outing with Elwood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know i usually post two chapters a week (Sundays and Wednesdays) with this story so i am so sorry that this past week i only posted just the one chapter... Especially with such a cliff hanger. I'm a mean author, i know. This Wednesday was a holiday for me (Beltane) So I was a bit wrapped up in planning and preparing for that. However, we are back to regularly scheduled posting. Enjoy ;)

###  Ch. 8: Sharp and Glorious Thorn

Listen.. There’s always so much hype when it comes to a first kiss. You wonder if your lips are going to be dry or what if you bump noses or even worse, what if they say no? All of these things I usually worry about and thats usually why I'm not so bold as to make the first move. I don’t know if it was the proximity, the sweet scent of spring, or just the comfort I felt with Andrew, but this time… I was the bold one. 

The magnetic pull to him was toxic and before I knew it my lips were upon his. He turned, inviting me in as his hand roamed up my neck sending chills down my spine and stopping to cup my jaw in his palm. I don’t want to say I saw stars. That would be too cliche. But what I did see was colors. Greens and reds and blues all with shocks of yellow and gold throughout. I was so hyper focused on this man’s lips that I could practically hear my blood roaring in my ears. I felt a light grazing of his teeth as he pulled away and nipped at my lip, and a smile pulled at the edges of his freshly kissed lips as he looked down at me. 

I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me as he slid his hand forward and tilted my chin up with the crook of his finger, planting one more small kiss on my lips. As if to say, “There. Now I get to kiss you too”. 

“So um…do you think she did it on purpose?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper as I looked up at him. 

“Did what?” he asked, finally taking his eyes off of my lips.

“The Pomegranate. Do you think she ate it on purpose?” my eyes met his and he grinned. 

“I think she spent so long under protective care and being her mother’s happiness, that she didn’t yet have the confidence to claim happiness on her own.” He sat back, relaxed once more. 

The phantom feeling of his finger under my chin was still there and it was taking every ounce of energy in my body not to pull him back into another kiss. 

“So she used that as an excuse to come back.” I said, more of a statement than a question. 

“I think that’s possible. Not brave enough to go after what she wanted just yet. Or perhaps she didn’t know the possibilities that existed for her yet.” He countered. 

I looked at him, squinting to keep the sun out of my eyes.

I suppose I sort of related to Persephone. I mean, not to say that I don’t have a decent life right now but it doesn’t really have that purpose… I guess. I’m spending more money at school taking random classes when I could be focusing on something. Just finding that something strong enough to make me stay put was the real problem. I shook it off. That was a problem for future Stella and current Stella was not about to think about it. He looked back at me, squinting to mirror my current look. I laughed and gave him a playful shove. 

Elwood trotted over to us, stick in mouth, wagging his tail excitedly. I grabbed the stick from him and threw it, grinning as he bounded after it. He picked the stick up and spun around before speeding back towards us, stick in mouth. This time Andrew leaned forward and tried to grab the stick and Elwood tugged on it a bit, tail wagging furiously at the game. Once Andrew finally had possession of the treasured item, he tossed it sending it soaring across the clearing. Elwood bolted after it but I looked on in awe. 

“Jeeze, play sports?” I asked, amazed by the length of that throw.

“Ha!” he scoffed, “Long Arms, that’s all” he said holding his arms out to demonstrate their length. 

A buzzing from Andrew’s pocket caught our attention. He leaned back, fishing in his pockets for his phone, nearly dropping it in his rush. 

“Hello?” He asked. 

I didn’t want to seem rude and listen to his phone call so I stood and went after Elwood so we could continue our game of fetch. He had found his way into some thorned hedges and was frantically looking for his stick. Ignoring the fact that there were dozens of sticks laying around him, it wasn’t THE stick. I crouched down, determined to him and spotted a dead mouse or two impaled on the thorns of the hedges. I winced standing back up and nearly stumbling into Andrew as he had made his way over to us. 

“Ah, the butcher birds live here.” He commented on the gory scene in the hedges. 

“Shrikes, right?” I asked. Referring to the tiny birds that made their homes in these hedges. 

“That’d be the type. Tiny little fellas are fierce as hell. They impale their prey on thorns and come back and eat them later.” He explained.

“I find it so funny that such tiny little birds are carnivorous.” I laughed

“Fierce little bastards, aren’t they?” he grinned.

“I guess there’s still hope for us short folk yet.” I joked. I wouldn’t say im overly short, but compared to Andrew I could have passed for one of the fair folk. The Fae. 

“Only just,” he laughed, the sound warming me. “Anyways, we’d better get back. The guys just got here so we have a bit of practicing to do.”

Well, that explained the phone call. I nodded and called Elwood back to me, treat in hand. His ears perked up as he trotted over to me. Giving him the treat, I clipped the leash back on him and we began out small trek back out of the clearing and onto the path that led to Andrew’s house. Elwood’s paws were coated with mud and his legs were wet. Clearly he had gotten into the edges of the pond when we weren’t looking. 

“I can give him a bath before I go.” I offered as we got to the back yard. 

“Sure, that sounds great. There’s actually a bath in the guest house.” He said pointing to the small building that was next to the pool. I had always assumed it was more of a pool house than a guest house. I was a bit off with that one. 

We walked through the arches that lined the guest house and he pulled a set of keys from his pocket. He unlocked the door before holding it open for me. The guest house was an open floor plan. The Kitchen and living room only separated by an island. Across the room there was a small wooden staircase that led upstairs. 

“Up those stairs is the bedroom and bathroom. You can clean him up in there. There should already be everything up there. I usually let my mum stay here when she is in town.” He explained. 

“It’s cozy” I remarked as I looked around. He smiled at the compliment. 

“Anyways, I gotta run, let me know before you leave, yea?” he asked. 

“Of course.” I answered and he nodded setting the keys down on the island before rubbing Elwood’s head and leaving, closing the door behind him. 

I finally let out a small squeal of excitement and did a small happy dance. 

“I kissed Andrew!” I said to Elwood. Noticing my excitement and happy dancing he started to get excited, his nails tapping on the tiled kitchen floor. 

I love dogs. I love that they are all “I have no idea why we are so excited but I support you” as they celebrate with you. 

I took Elwood’s leash and collar off and headed up the stairs, calling him to follow. The stairway turned then opened up to a wide, spacious bedroom with large windows overlooking the back yard and pool. Across the room was a large, king-sized four poster bed with a fluffy, light blue comforter and pillow set. The bed frame was some sort of metal or iron and instead of the usual railing you would see on most bed frames, the metal was twisted and turned into leaves and trees on the headboard. It looked so inviting it took everything in my not to collapse on top of it right that moment. 

The rest of the room was filled with a vanity seat and mirror, a couch in front of the large windows, and two doors, one of which led to a large walk in closet and the other led to the bathroom which was equally impressive. There was a glass shower with tiled floor and several shower heads. One coming from directly over head, and two from the sides and tilted at an angle like a normal shower would have. Next to the shower was a large tub big enough to fit 3 or 4 people in it. I gasped at how comfortable it looked. There were jets built into the side and a wooden shelf lined the wall holding all sorts of bath supplies. Shampoo, conditioner, soap, saving cream, bath bombs; you name it. The whole guest house, while it only had one bedroom, was way bigger than my two bedroom apartment. 

I sat on the edge of the tub and began running the water, letting it warm up a bit before plugging the drain. If I had a tub like this, no one would ever get me out of it. I’d be perfectly content sitting in it forever turning into a 26-year-old and waterlogged prune as I soaked up the water. Once the tub was sufficiently filled I called Elwood to get in and grabbed a fluffy towel from the linen closet and placed it under my knees so kneeling on the floor wouldn’t kill me while I bathed him. Before starting I shut and locked the door behind me and removed my shirt trying not to be awkward about being at Andrew’s in only my bra. 

Now…. Before you judge me just know I obviously wouldn’t do this at work but seeing as I hadn’t planned to be bathing a dog I didn’t have an apron with me and I was actually wearing nice clothes from being at school this morning and I definitely didn’t want to get them muddy or soaking wet. It did help, though, that he was surprisingly well behaved throughout the whole process and seemed to love the water unlike most dogs who I had to fight to keep in the tub as they whined. Once we were finished I drained the water and toweled him off until he was mostly dry before letting him out of the tub. 

Once he got out I braced myself for little shake dogs do after a bath. You know the one where they are trying to dry themselves so they shake and fling water everywhere? I had the towel up and ready for that, thankfully, so when he did it there wasn’t a huge mess. I placed a soaked towel in a laundry bin and grabbed another dry one to wrap around him and keep him warm while I cleaned up any mess left behind and the tub or residual mud. By the time I was done the bathroom looked just as clean as when I had walked in and Elwood was completely dry. 

Putting the remaining towels in the bin, Elwood squirmed excitedly as I put his collar back on along with my shirt which I almost walked out without it. I let out a low whistle of relief when I realized how much of a nightmare that would have been. I could just see it now.

_“Wow, Stella… one kiss and you are already shirtless?”_ I cringed at the thought. 

I grabbed the keys from the counter and locked the door to the guest house behind me as we left and walked back over to the main house, Elwood excitedly running ahead and waiting at the door for me. As soon as I opened the door I heard the music and smiled. They were upstairs practicing the same song I had heard the other day. I was quiet as I made my way up the stairs to the sitting room where they were practicing and Elwood ran ahead, giving me away as he bounded in the room greeting everyone. The music stopped as they all gave him pets and called him a good boy. Of course he was eating it up. Andrew’s eyes were on me, however, and I felt warmth creep up my neck and to my cheeks. 

“He’s all clean now.” I sad and gave the guys a wave, “I’m going to head out, though.” I said handing Andrew the guest house keys back. 

“Wait, let me walk you out” he said unstrapping his guitar and setting it down before telling the guys he’d be right back. 

Just like last time, he help open every door for me, including my car door. Before I got in the car he stopped me with a hand on my shoulder.

“You’’ll actually text me and let me know you made it home this time, right?” he said playfully scolding me. 

“I will, I will. I promise!” I said laughing. 

“Good,” he said as his hand slid to my side. “I’d hate to have to come looking for you and then have another impromptu breakfast.” He said with clear playful sarcasm.

“True, how horrible that was.” I said back. 

My back was to my car as he stood near and looking up at him I could see the question on his lips before he said it. 

“Stella, may I kiss you again?” He asked politely. I blushed at the gesture and nodded.

His hand on my waist tightened and gently pulled me closer to him, his woodsy scent drugging me all over again. He tilted my chin up with his other hand and met my lips with his in another kiss. This one just as breathtaking as the ones from earlier and left me dizzy for more once he pulled away.

“Drive safe, dear.” He said as I gave him a dazed and happy smile. 

I got in my car and put my seat belt on before he knocked on the window. I rolled the window down and he bent over and stuck his head inside and gave me one more quick peck on the lips. 

“One for the road, of course.” He explained with a wink before standing back up and heading back to the house. 

Of course I could see in my mirrors that he waited as I drove off, to make sure I left okay before going inside.

“What the hell is my life right now?” I asked no one as I headed back to the city, the memory of his lips still heavy on mine.


	9. Ch. 9: Real Wild Child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew asks Stella on their first date.

###  Ch. 9: Real Wild Child

A week had passed since the day of the kiss. Thankfully, things weren’t weird between Andrew and I. I mean.. Why would they be? Nothing wrong with a kiss or two. I found myself thinking of him more throughout the day. Wondering if he also thought of me was a torturing thought that I had that I never really wanted to ask him. Because the fact is nothing changed between us for the most part. I still saw him every day, still walked Elwood every day. And Every day we chatted as friends. With previous guys, this would have caused me to worry, I think. I would have been torturing myself wondering what I was to him and vise versa. The comfort I felt with him though made me not care to label it. 

As the date neared the date that Andrew would be leaving for a month he got busier and busier. I would Elwood and he would be in rehearsal with the guys, would give me a smile and a wave while I grabbed the dog, and would get back to work. No more than a few words would pass between us throughout the day and it would almost make me start to get self conscious. My favorite part about every day though, was the end. Every day when I would get ready to leave, Andrew would always tell the guys to take a quick break, and he would walk me to my car. It never failed…. And every single time he would slide his arms around me, pull me close, and kiss me. It never ceased to amaze me how quickly that man could turn me nothing more than a puddle at his feet. The moment he kissed me every doubt that had been snowballing in my head was immediately blasted out of the way and no longer an issue. 

It became almost like a secret moment that made time stand still. A moment where he was just a guy and I was just a girl. No celebrity appearances for him; no school assignments for me. Just us. He never told any of the guys and I never told anyone either. I think part of it had to do with an unspoken fear. A fear that if either of us spoke of it out loud, it would become real and the consequences of reality would blur the lines. But in those moments of quiet, when the only sounds were crickets and our kisses as dusk descended, only we existed. 

Last night, something shifted. He was leaning back against my car, my arms around his neck and his around my back pulling me close. We had spent a bit longer than usual out here and darkness was starting to fall around us as our kiss ended and he looked down at me, smiling. 

“What exactly are you grinning about, huh?” I asked playfully, my fingers playing with one of his curls. 

“Let me take you out.” He asked. 

“Like, on a date?” I grinned 

“Yes, dear,” he chuckled kissing my forehead, “A real date.” 

My heart was fluttering and in my head I was celebrating. So maybe he did actually like me. He had to if he was willing to go from kissing me in the dark to a proper date. 

“Hmm… I suppose I will have to see if I’m free.” I said playing coy. 

He looked down, lacing his fingers with mine and pulling the back of my hand up to his lips, planting a kiss on each of my fingers. 

“I’m sure that prick who makes you walk his dog every day wouldn’t mind giving you the night off one night.” He winked at me. 

“I think he’d need some convincing.” I said with a laugh. 

“How about,” He began, placing his arms around me and leaning back against the car again, “ I come pick up around 7 tomorrow night.” 

“Ok.” I grinned, “What should I wear?” 

“Anything you’d like.” He shrugged.

“Right,” I rolled my eyes. I mean, he still is a guy, afterall. “I should have asked what we would be doing.” I laughed.

“You’ll find out.” A gleam of mischief was in his eye. 

I gave up, knowing I probably wouldn’t get it out of him. 

“Alright, well if I show up under dressed, you’ll have no one to blame but yourself, sir.” I said in mock warning. 

Now here I was: standing in front of my closet in nothing but a towel and freaking out about what I should wear. Granted, his attire never strays far from a flannel and jeans but if I went with that, it would be my luck and he would take me out to a 5 star restaurant and I would look like some fan who just won a radio contest to have dinner with Hozier and not know how to act. I finally settled on something not too dressy, but a little bit casual. It only took me all of 45 more minutes to blow dry my hair and put on my makeup. I was sitting on my bed playing playing on my phone and trying not to be too anxious and glance at the clock every fifteen seconds. 

Finally, I heard a knock at the door and I practically jumped to answer it. Opening the door it took everything in my not to let out a low whistle at the man standing in front of me. He had traded his blue jeans and flannel in for a black pair of jeans, boots, a black button up shirt, and a nice fitted black blazer. Not many men could pull off the all black outfit but damn it was working for him. Clearly he was eying me as well and his attention finally snapped up to me and he cleared his throat.

“Wow, you’re ready.” He observed. 

“You said seven, right?” I said looking at the clock. It was only two minutes after seven. 

“Of course!” he began, “It’s just for some reason most people take that as a suggestion. I can’t count how many times I have gone to pick a date up and she still wasn’t ready and I had to sit on her couch and talk to her roommates while I waited for her to get ready.” 

I raised an eyebrow at him.

“Can’t count how many times, eh?” I asked in a mock judgmental tone. 

He rolled his eyes and held his hand out for me.

“Ready to go, dear?”

I nodded and took his hand as he led me to his car, ever the gentleman and holding the door open for me. Moments later he was sliding into the driver’s seat and we were hitting the road. We made our way to a pub in the far reaches of town that I had never been to before. We hadn’t even made it to the door yet and I could hear the loud music pouring out of the building. Andrew opened the door for me and when I stepped through I was hit with the wave of sound. The pub was packed as a sort of Rockabilly band played on the makeshift stage in the corner. There were people lined along the walls with beers in hand, people in the middle of the room dancing, and tables on the other side of the bar. Andrew spotted a free table and laced his fingers with mine before guiding me through the crowd to the open table. 

We were grabbing our seats when the band announced they next song was a cover of “Real Wild Child”. It was so upbeat I couldn’t help but dance in my seat along to the beat. A tall brunette woman came by with a tray full of beers, weaving in and out of the crowd before she served them to the table next to us. The table full of men cheered and she made her way over to us. 

“What can I get ya to drink?” she leaned over the table, shouting at us over the noise. 

Andrew ordered scotch and I ordered the house cider. She placed a few small menus down in front of us before heading back into the crowd towards the bar, to get our drinks I assumed. I looked over the menu for a few minutes before looking up and seeing Andrew grinning at me. 

“Want to try something fun?” I suggested. He leaned forward with interest. 

“Absolutely. What’s the plan?” He asked both of us having to shout.

“Order for me.” I said with a grin. 

“Uhh… okay?” confusion written on his face. 

“You order for me and I will order for you. Consider it a learning opportunity.” I explained. A slow smile spread across his face and he agreed. 

The waitress came back with a notepad in hand and our drinks. 

“Alright, what will it be?” she asked 

“He’s going to have the Shepard’s pie.” I said handing her the menu. He but his hand to his chin as if he was thinking and nodded his approval. 

“And she,” he said glancing at the waitress while handing her the menu, “Will have a double cheeseburger with fries” 

I scrunched my nose a bit. “Make that onion rings, not fries.” He winked at me and I grinned, impressed that he caught the subtle change. 

I took a long drink of my cider, smiling happily as I swallowed. It tasted absolutely fantastic! 

“So, do you take all your first dates to bars?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“Just the fun ones” he said with a loud laugh. 

“Well, that’s quite the compliment” 

He leaned back in his chair and began tapping his toes to the beat. 

“Do you dance?” He yelled to me. 

“Not really… you?” I asked back. 

He shook his head no. “I’m utter shit at it.” He explained then stood up, holding a hand out to me. 

“Guess that doesn’t matter does it?” I asked laughing as I took his hand. 

“Not at all!” He said before pulling me into the crowd of people dancing. 

We made our way to a clear space and he began dancing some made up version of swing to go along with the theme of the rockabilly music blasting through the air. I covered my mouth laughing. He really was not that great at it. I grabbed his hand and joined in the dance, adding my own clearly made up moves to the routine, almost stepping on his shoes. He stepped out of the way just in time and wagged a finger at me as if to scold me for the near ruin of his nice shoes. He then laced his fingers with mine and pulled me close before twirling me and I almost bumped into a woman next to us. I began to laugh as I realized we were attracting lots of eyes as most people were just bobbing their heads to the beat or dancing in place while watching the band. We were practically causing a scene and hadn’t even drank much more than a few sips. 

After nearly 3 songs of us making fools of ourselves, we saw our food being brought to our table so we made our way back to our seats, out of breath and laughing our asses off. I took a long drink from the Cider nearly draining the glass and asked the waitress for another one before she left our table. Andrew held up two fingers to signal “Make that two” clearly ready to move on from the scotch.

“Moment of truth.” I said picking up the burger, readying myself for a bite. 

Andrew picked up fork and nodded at me and we both took a bite of our food at the same time. I was expecting shitty bar food, but this burger was DAMN good. I could see the look of satisfaction on his face too as he chewed. I gave him a thumbs up as my mouth was still full and he winked at me before taking another bite. We sat in silence enjoying the music and people watching while we finished our food. Once we let our food settle a bit, I grabbed his hand and we were back dancing again, drinks in hand. Tewo hours passed and the band finished their set. I cheered, cheeks pink from the excess spirits I had drank. Andrew had paced himself a bit better though. 

He laced his fingers with mine and pulled me close. 

“I’ve got one more place we need to go tonight” He said quietly in my ear. I grinned and nodded. He walked over to the bar, settled our tab, and we were out the door.


	10. Ch. 10. When you move, i'm moved.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew and Stella Continue their date and get into trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thank you so much for keeping up with this story and i am loving all of the feedback that i have been getting so far!
> 
> Just a quick note to let you know that the next chapter after this one might be delayed a few days because I'm actually going to be seeing Andrew in concert for the second time this year in South Carolina THIS WEDNESDAY!! It's about an 8 hour drive but honestly, I couldn't resist the urge to get tickets again. And I'll be right up front so you can imagine I'm dying a bit. I hope to come back FULLY amped up and inspired to write more after seeing his face again <3 anyways.. 
> 
> Chapter warning: This chapter gets a little hot and heavy so young eyes be warned. (this story is marked mature anyways so there really shouldn't be young eyes reading anyways, but just a heads up)

###  Ch. 10 When you move, I'm moved. 

It felt like we had been driving for ages but in reality it wasn’t that long. Through the passenger window the city got smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared as we made our way our into the country. I waited for the familiar turns to get to Andrew’s house, but when he drove past where I expected us to turn I raised an eyebrow at him.

“Just where are you taking me, sir?” I said skeptically

He grinned and kept his eyes on the road as he gripped the steering wheel. 

“You’ll see, dear. Patience” he said as we finally got onto the back roads with no cars in sight. 

Before I knew it he was flooring it and we suddenly sped up as he drove the winding roads in the dark as if he had drawn them there himself. Normally, I’d be clutching my seatbelt for dear life but he seemed to know just the right angle to turn the car to make turns seems smooth and kept my nerves from going crazy. Minutes later we slowed to a stop and once the roar of the engine stopped and Andrew was making his way over to my side of the car to open the door for me, I could hear a roaring sound in the distance. The scent of salty damp air reached my nose as soon as the door opened. Grabbing my hand, he helped me out of the car and I glanced around me to see where we were. 

It was dark but the full moon’s silver was dripping light onto everything around us making the land around us very visible. There was a small building near where we parked with some old cannons in front of it as well as a path off to the right, leading towards the direction of the roaring waves I was hearing crashing upon land. I recognized this as Black Castle, a sort of landmark here that tourists love to visit. It was nothing but ruins of a fort on a cliff side but I had never been here during the night time.

“Are we able to be here this late?” I whispered

“Hmm.. No I don’t think so.” He said with a wicked grin as he held my hand. Leading me down the path towards the ruins. 

I took every step carefully, thankful that I had work decent shoes rather than heels or sandals. Otherwise he would have to be carrying me he up the hillside. We made our way to the ruined foundation of the fort ruins and Andrew pulled me closer and slowed his pace, making sure that neither of us tripped. Finally reaching the top of the hill, a smile immediately bloomed on my face as I beheld the sight before me. The walls of the fort have been long gone for ages so it was nothing more than a very weathered foundation with two rocky pillars on the edge of the cliff, and part of what used to be a corner of the fort walls, deteriorated into nothing but a pile of towering stone. In the middle of the foundation floor, spread out, was a huge, thick blanket, a basket of food, wine, and a large array of pillows. 

“Hmm… Perhaps we may have crashed someone else’s date.” I observed playfully. 

He let out a quiet laugh and led me to the blanket and gesturing for me to sit upon a cushioned seat, almost as big as a bean bag.

“I suppose that’s their loss then.” He said with a wink sitting next to me. 

The cushion I was sitting on was actually extremely comfortable despite the fact that it was giving me flashbacks to the big fluffy bean bags I used to have in my bedroom as a kid. Andrew pulled the wine out of a bucket of ice that had began to partially melt, but was still mostly solid. He must have had someone set this up while we were eating dinner or that ice would have been totally melted by now. Pouring us both a glass, he offered one to me and grabbed his own before holding it out to me for a toast.

“What are we toasting to?” I asked with a giggle.

“Hmm… to… new opportunities.” He thought out loud. 

“To new opportunities.” I raised my glass to his before we both took a drink, the cool liquid sweet on my tongue. A Moscato, perfect. 

He reached into the basket and pulled out sealed containers of fruits and cheeses as well as some crackers. It was so cliche and adorable I couldn’t keep the grin off of my face. There were two bags left in the basket while he set up the spread of food in front of us.

“Wait, what’s that?” I asked pointing to the things left behind. His eyes followed where I was pointing and let out a small laugh

“Well, I wasn’t sure if you were the fruit and cheese kinda gal so that was my backup” he explained.

“What kind of back up?” I raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Junk food! Various candies and chips” he said with a sheepish look. 

I let out a laugh and pulled a strawberry off of the plate and took a bite.

“Don’t worry, I would have been happy either way.” A small hint of relief washed over his face as he popped a few grapes into his mouth. 

We enjoyed light conversation while we ate and took in the scenery. Despite the darkness of the night, seeing the silver moonlight dancing upon the water was stunning. It was like nature’s own ballet and we were the only guests invited to attend. I leaned back in the cushion, stretching my legs out and closing my eyes. Taking a deep breath in as the salty air filled my lungs I was relaxed. After a moment I cracked open an eye and noticed Andrew looking at me, silent laughter tugging at his lips.

“What?” I asked incredulously.

“Nothing. Just glad to see you so comfortable.” He explained.

“Pfft… I have no problem making myself at home.” I wiggled down into the cushion so I was a bit more snug. “Only downside is now I can’t reach the food” I laughed. 

He picked up a strawberry and leaned closer to me and held it just out of reach.

“Mind if I help?” he asked 

I swallowed as the nerves finally hit me but I shook it off and nodded at him with a smile. He lowered the strawberry enough to be in reach but pulled it away and popped it into his mouth before I could bite down on it.

“Hey!” I said in protest pushing myself up on my elbows so I could get a good look at him. “I was gonna eat that!” 

“Hmm.. Guess I’ll have to fix that.” He said as he swallowed the remaining bits of the strawberry. 

I gave him a scowling look as he laughed and slipped the crook of his finger under my chin and gently pulling me into a kiss. The sweet and tangy taste of the strawberry was still on his lips as he invited me closer, pulling me into kiss that nearly made my head spin. I accepted that invitation and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to the point that he was leaning directly over me as his lips explored mine. He began to slowly pull away but I moved forward, keeping his lips locked on mine. At this point I was sitting up completely as his tongue grazed across my lower lip, begging to go further. 

He pulled away finally, his eyes meeting mine, both of our breathing was heavy. I could see the hunger burning there and with the darkness surrounding us I wanted to give in to that hunger. I leaned forward kissing him again and situating myself so that I was now on my hands and knees crawling to get closer to him. I was getting bolder as the minutes went on and the heat started to rise between us. He let out a low groan as I nipped at his lower lip causing a bit of color to bloom on his strawberry stained lips. He leaned forward and I let out a surprised yelp as he pulled me into his lap. Straddling his waist on the cushion, he placed his hands on my hips and pulled me close and I let out a quiet gasp as I pushed against him, feeling what was growing beneath me. He leaned his forehead against mine, breaking the kiss as we caught up with our breathing. 

“Is this okay?” He asked pushing his hands further up my waist, his fingertips lightly grazing the skin beneath my shirt. 

I nodded wordlessly and he pulled back looking me in the eyes. 

“I need your words, dear. Tell me what you want.” He whispered. 

“Please.” I asked. My cheeks were now flushed red either from his touch or the intoxicating wine, I had no idea but I didn’t care. 

He gave a small kiss on my lips, “Please, what?” 

My arms were around his neck and I leaned forward against him, causing the fire in his eyes to reignite. “Please, Andrew. Keep kissing me.” 

His hands slid further up my waist sending chills throughout my entire being and goosebumps began tor form on my skin. He pulled me into another kiss and I was lost again. Waves of heat washed over me as I tasted the wine upon his tongue. I wasn’t sure how far I wanted this to go but one thing was for sure, I never wanted to end this. My senses were heightened as his fingers lazily grazed against my skin that I swore I could feel every line of his fingertips against me. I began to slowly rock my hips against his eliciting a groan from him that only encouraged me to keep moving. 

His hands had reached higher and his fingertips hesitated a moment at the edge of my bra, dancing around the edge as if not sure if he should go further. I nodded yes to him and that was all the confirmation that he needed. He slid his hands upward, pushing my breast out of the cups of the bra before gently massaging them, paying close attention to my sensitive nipples. 

“Fuckkk…” I let out a low moan as his hands caressed me under my shirt. I felt like I was going to combust right here in his lap. His hands, regardless of how rough they were due to the years of playing guitar, were very very skilled. 

I was lost in him. His lips, his hands, the very scent of him next to me was driving me wild. I was drunk on the taste of his lips upon mine and the connection was unlike any I had experienced so far. He wasn’t pawing at me with abandon like almost everyone of my previous encounters. His fingers traced constellations on the goosebumps on my skin making sure none were incomplete.

We were so totally lost in the kisses between us that we never heard the footsteps approaching. It wasn’t until a blinding light was shining in our faces that we realized we weren’t alone. Covering our eyes and squinting past the light we tried to make out the shape of the person standing in front of us. A night guard. 

“You guys do know it’s dangerous to be out here this late. Not to mention not allowed, correct?” he asked folding his arms and looking down at us. I sat up and pushed my shirt down covering myself up quickly and sat to the side of Andrew, no longer sitting on his lap. He stood quickly between the Guard and I to save what little modesty I had left and I stifled a laugh. It was cute how Chivalrous he was being. 

“I apologize, Sir. We’ll pack up and be of no more trouble” he said softly.

The guard laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry, you guys aren’t the first couple I’ve caught up here and you won’t be the last. You’ll have to go but make sure you clean up everything you brought up here.” 

“Absolutely, sir.” He said clapping his hands together and bowing his head slightly in thanks. The guard turned and began his trek back down to the building by the parking lot. 

Once he was out of earshot Andrew looked at me, a pained look on his face as if he was unsure how I would react now that the heat of the moment had passed. I started to chuckle and seeing the puzzled look on his face I couldn't help but burst into laughter. He grabbed my hand and helped me to my feet as I finished adjusting the rest of my clothing. 

“Well, shall we get cleaning?” I asked wrapping my arms around him as he towered above me. 

He smiled and pulled me into a sweet kiss. His palm resting on my cheek. 

“I’ll take care of it.” He assured me. 

It only took about 10 minutes for him to pack everything into the basket as well as stuff the pillows into a bag that had been sitting nearby waiting for cleanup. I grabbed the basket and he grabbed the bag and hauled it over his shoulder as we made our way back down the path to the car. He gave a nod and a small salute to the guard as we passed him and packed everything up in the car. 

Tonight was definitely a night I would never forget.


	11. A Moment's Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella gets prepared with having to say good bye to Andrew at the end of the week due to his trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHHHHH Thank you all so much for keeping up with this story and for baring with me last week since it took a bit longer for this chapter to come out. Obviously, i had a good reason since i got to go see our tall irishman in person at his concert in Columbia, SC. The show was fantastic, I was in the 3rd row. His opening band, Bailen was a surprise and i absolutely fell in love with them (You should check them out, they have a bit of a ... Fleetwood Mac vibe i'd say). But the highlight of the evening was staying after the show and waiting for almost 2 hours to meet him again. He was so polite, the humidity had completely poofed his poor hair all up. It was adorable. And he also signed some lyrics for me to incorporate into a tattoo that i am planning. Overall the evening was an absolute success but i have been suffering with a bit of the post-concert blues. They are no joke. I'm dying for it to be august already which is when i will be seeing him perform again. Until then i will just live vicariously through Stella. And without further delay, Chapter 11. Enjoy!

###  Ch. 11: A Moment's Silence 

“Helloooo?? Earth to Stella?” a voice cut through my thoughts. 

Glancing up from mess of leashes that I was untangling, Joelle was waving her hand in front of my face. 

“Sorry, I spaced. What were you saying?” I asked guiltily.

In fact I had barely been listening to her at all. She had been babbling on and on about…. Something? I don’t know. Call me a bad friend or co-worker or whatever, but my head was just not in the moment. I kept glancing at the clock waiting for my shift to end because I was looking forward to my visit with Andrew. Andrew and Elwood, of course. After our date the other night we had only had a few moments of texting, a phone call here and there but he had been busy. 

That’s when the nerves hit me again. He was leaving this weekend for two whole weeks for this album pitch and even though I knew this was coming up, it was why he hired me afterall, I still was not looking forward to going so long without seeing him. 

“Are you still good to cover for me on Thursday? I have a final for one of my classes and I absolutely cannot get out of it.” She asked again.

“Wait, this Thursday?” my attention finally on Jo. 

“Yea, remember I asked you to cover for me like 2 weeks ago.” A slight panicked look crossed her face.

“Oh yea, yea. Of course! This Thursday. Just snuck up on me, that’s all.” I quickly reassured her. 

She looked relieved and I planted a smile on my face but inside I was devastated. Since Andrew would be leaving bright and early on Friday, we had planned to have dinner on Thursday. I glanced at the clock. Ten more minutes until I was free to go. I finished untangling the leashes and hung them up in their expected places and made my way back to my little locker where I traded my apron in for my purse and keys and as soon as the clock struck 3, I said my goodbyes to Joelle and I was out the door, practically running to my car. I turned the radio up and drove a tad bit faster than I normally would. Speeding a little? Of course but It was a far cry from how fast Andrew took the curves when he was behind the wheel. I smiled at the memory and tried to take the turns a bit smoother, emulating his driving method the best I could for my own personal amusement. 

By the time I had made it to Andrew’s estate I was convinced I would need a lot more practice if I wanted to get on his level. Of course, if my schedule kept up like this I would be getting practice pretty much every day. Who knows, by the time he came back perhaps I could be the one wooing him from the driver’s seat. I parked my car and made my way inside, being welcomed by the music playing upstairs. I was beginning to love this routine. So far I had only been lucky enough to hear the one song for the album, but I had no doubt that the others would be just as good. 

I padded upstairs, and as usual, Elwood was parked parked near Andrew while they played. I waved at the guys as I walked in and got the leash out ready to sneak past and leave them undisturbed. Elwood’s tail wagged excitedly as I clipped on his leash. Andrew stopped playing his guitar and rotated a finger at the guys as if to tell them to keep playing and he would jump back in as he hurried over to me, gave me a quick kiss on the lips and winked as he went back to playing his guitar. I stood there stunned for a moment but quickly snapped out of it when I noticed Rory laughing at me from behind the drum set. 

Of course, I figured at least one of the guys had to have known about us since someone had set up the picnic for our date, but I had assumed it was Jon. Andrew hadn’t really made it a point to show me extra attention when we were around the guys and I felt no need to make him. I guess the cat was out of the bag now. 

_“Oh, hope that you’re good to me._  
Oh, you’re good to me.  
Hope that you’re good to me baby” 

He sang loudly as his guitar pick crashed down upon the strings. He made it a point to keep his eyes on me as I left the room, dog in tow and I smiled at him before exiting and making my way down the steps. 

_Oh, Andrew. I hope you’re good to me, too._ I thought to myself. 

Elwood and I followed the same routine that we usually did: Outside, down the path and and a jog around the lake. Stopping to sniff various interesting bugs along the way of course. By the time we made it back inside, he was panting and ready to take a nap. 

“You and me both, kiddo” I heard from the kitchen as we walked past. 

I back peddled to look to see who the voice belonged to. Jon sat in the kitchen arms crossed and leaning against the counter while waiting for water to boil for tea, no doubt. He bent over and gave Elwood a playful rub on the head as I unlatched his leash. 

“Right, he’s starting to get more and more used to our little outings but he still is exhausted after them” I said with a laugh and hanging his leash up on a hook by the door. 

“Then you’re doing it right,” he added with a chuckle. “Care for some tea?”

“Ever the gracious host, of course.” I joked and had a seat on the stool on the other side of the counter. 

He pulled down an extra mug from the cupboard and handed me a tin filled with various teas, asking me to select which one I preferred. I settled for a Jasmine/Mint tea and placed it in my cup. As if on cue the pot began to boil and he pulled it off of the stove. He grinned up at me as he poured a generous amount of water in my mug and I added a bit of honey, letting the heat dissolve it while the tea steeped. 

“What’s got you grinning like a Cheshire cat?” I asked raiding an eyebrow at him. 

“Ohhh…. Nothing.” He said in a sing-songy voice. 

“Liar.” I noted. 

“We just haven’t talked in a while, that’s all. I heard things have been going well for you.” He said giving me a bit of side eye and sipping his tea.

“Did you just… did you just shade me?” I said laughing at the image in front of me. 

Noticing how it must have looked, a fully grown man side eying me while sipping tea like someone right out of an episode of Untucked, he let out a loud boisterous laugh. His laughs was one of those jubilant ones that required his whole body to participate in it. It was infectious and I couldn’t help but laugh along. 

“No shade here.” He explained raising his hand in surrender. “I’m just glad.” He smiled at me.

“Glad?” I asked, the suspicious tone leaving my voice to be replaced with a more shy and flattered one. 

“Of course. I’ve heard good things. That’s all.” 

“What kind of things?” I asked louder than I should have.

“What kind of things, what?” a soft voice sounded from the doorway. 

Andrew had strolled in and was in the process of pouring himself a glass of tea as well. Jon’s eyes widened at being caught gossiping and shook his head as he nursed the hot liquid in his glass.

“Nothing.” He mumbled. 

Andrew raised an eyebrow at him and then looked at me. I beamed innocently and turned my attention to my own drink. Averting my eyes in obvious guilt. 

“Alright then. Keep your secrets” Andrew said with a chuckle. I liked that he didn’t push, even though he knew we were obviously hiding something. 

“The song is sounding great.” I said as he rounded the corner of the counter and sat on the stool next to me. 

“I’m glad you think so, dear.” He said placing a kiss on my forehead. 

Jon smiled at us and finished his tea. 

“Well, I’ve got a few errands to run so I will be back later. Stella, nice to see you again.” He said coming around and giving me a hug. 

I wrapped my arms around him returning the warm embrace and muttered my thanks to him before he headed out of the kitchen, no doubt to gather his things before leaving. 

“Sooooo you’re kissing me in front of people now. How bold.” I teased flashing him a cheeky smile. 

“Hard to resist, I’d say.” He grinned back at me leaning his head on his palm as his elbow rested on the counter. 

We sat there for a moment, smiling at each other. Unspoken conversation happening between us as he grabbed my hand and laced his fingers with mine. A moment of silence and sheer comfort passed and I had small thought of how much I would miss this while he was away. I suppose he could read the change in my energy, even though it was fleeting because he stood and wrapped his arms around me. I returned the favor and relaxed my head on his chest as he began to play with my hair. 

“You okay, dear?” He asked softly. 

“Yea…” I trailed off for a moment before looking up at him, meeting his eyes. “I do have some sad news, though.” I said sheepishly. 

He cupped my jaw with his palm and ran his thumb gently back and forth over my cheek. 

“Well, go on.” He said with a small chuckle. 

“Well… I forgot that I am supposed to cover for Joelle tomorrow evening because she has a class final. So I don’t think I will be able to make our dinner.” I looked down so as not to see if he was disappointed. 

“Hmm…. What time does the shop close?” He asked, his low voice resonated in his chest as I leaned my head against him. 

“About 9:00pm” I answered. 

“So, come over after.” He said with a cheery tone, as if he had just solved all of our problems. 

“That’s a bit late for dinner, don’t you think?” I asked pulling back and looking up at him as he towered next to me. 

“We’ll have dessert.” He said with a wink that caused heat to bloom in my cheeks, coloring them pink. “It’s the least I could do after our last Dessert was so rudely interrupted.”

“Hmm… That’s true.” I grinned pretending to think about it for a moment. “Okay. I suppose I will come over for Dessert, then.” 

“And bring a bag.” He said matter of factly as he kissed the top of my head and loosened his arms from me. He grabbed our glasses and took them into the kitchen completely ignoring the fact that I was sitting there slack jawed over the insinuation that he wanted me to stay overnight. 

“A Bag?” I asked, regaining my composure. 

“Mhmm.” He answered turning back towards my direction and leaning against the counter. “You are more than welcome to stay. If you’d like, of course.” He added hastily.

I smiled at the subtle nervousness that I caught in his voice at that last bit. At least I wasn’t the only one who was nervous. When I didn’t answer, he continued to talk.

“It’s just, there are plenty of places to sleep here. And after working all day I cant imagine you would want to sit around in jeans all night. We could watch a movie in PJ’s for all I care.” He shrugged. 

“That sounds like a lovely Idea, actually.” I said excitedly. 

I couldn’t believe that I would be in Andrew’s house in PJs…. And no make-up. Okay, well…. I mean no one said I had to take off my make-up but if I was going to be staying the night he would have to see me in all my natural glory, bare faced and all. What about using the bathroom? I mean surely I wasn’t usually one to be nervous about things like that but I also hadn’t dated anyone in such a long time that I forgot that these were things I used to stress over when starting a new relationship. These were the things about dating that I had definitely not missed.


	12. What You Do to Me Tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew invites Stella to stay the night on his last night before leaving. Stella is insecure that Andrew will see her in PJs and without makeup. Andrew surprises Stella with a date to remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I apologize that this chapter is late. Work has been a nightmare and at the sake of pure transparency, i started to get a bit discouraged after getting less and less feedback on the story. I have gotten comments and responses from you loyal readers though so I decided to dive back into it. I will be working harder to stay more on track and keep writing for those of you that are still here from the beginning. Your responses and comments matter so thank you!

###  Ch. 12 What you Do to Me Tonight 

This was my last chance to get some quality time with Andrew before he left. I was still in my clothes from work as I pulled into the familiar drive. My previous visit didn’t last long thanks to a paper that I had due by midnight but I had made sure that nothing would get in the way of our time tonight. The shop had been slow all evening so I was able to complete the remainder of my assignments for the week and turn them in while the minutes ticked by on the clock. Grabbing my bag from the back seat, butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I don’t know why I was so nervous about staying with Andrew tonight. He always went out of his way to make me feel comfortable. 

The gravel crunched beneath my feet as I made my way to the front door. Light flooded the front yard from the lamp above the doorway, which I was grateful for. My luck I would have tripped in the dark and Andrew would have had to come out and carry me through the threshold. As tempting as that sounded a twisted ankle probably wouldn’t make for a romantic evening, I’d say. Before I could even make it to the front steps the door swung open to the figured of the tall gangly man I had grown so fond of. He gave me a warm smile and reached out to grab my bag from me. 

“I saw your headlights, figured I would come help you with your bag.” He explained his sudden appearance. 

“Always the gentleman.” I laughed handing it to him, “It’s not that heavy though, I could have managed. It’s just one night” 

He laced his fingers with mine and led me inside, closing the door behind us. I heard a bark from the hall followed by the clicking of nails on tile as Elwood was alerted to a guest at the front door. His tail wagged as he barreled towards me greeting me and giving me several sniffs to see where I had been. Fingers still laced with mine, Andrew guided me up the stairs, through the sitting room and into his bedroom. My heart rate was speeding up and plummeting all at the same time and he looked back at my wide panicked eyes and gave me a reassuring smile. 

“Now dear, surely you know better than that.” He said teasingly. 

He led me through his dark room and I could barely get a look around before he led me to a door with light shining under it on the other side of his bedroom. Opening the door, he stepped aside and gestured for me to enter the room. It was a large bathroom, much like the one in the guest house. The giant tub in the corner was being filled with warm water and there were candles lit around the edges as well as basket with bath bombs and bubble bath on one corner near the faucet. 

“I figured after a long day of work you’d want a relaxing bath before we got our dessert date underway.” He leaned against the doorway smiling at the wondrous look I had on my face. 

I hadn’t even thought about what showering would be like here before slipping into PJs. I had just come over directly after work as I had been instructed. 

“A bath sounds lovely, actually,” I smiled at him as he sat my back on the counter that had His&Hers sinks. 

“I’ll be downstairs in the living room getting everything set up. Take your time and enjoy yourself.” He kissed the top of my head and closed the door behind him. 

I heard the latch of the door click into place and his footsteps padding gently away before I began to undress and look about the room. This Bathroom was similar to the one in the guest room but it was definitely less decorated. On one side of the sinks there was his tooth brush and his hair brush. He definitely lacked hair care products spare the coconut oil on one of the shelves. Looking at the basket on the tub, all of the bath bombs and oils looked brand new. He must have made a special trip just for me. I smiled at the idea of him walking into a lush store and asking for advice on what to get me. 

I discarded my clothing into a neat pile and stepped into the tub. The water was steaming hot, just like I liked it. I slowly settled into the water, letting my skin get used to the heat before getting comfortable. I rummaged through the basket looking through the bath bombs and grabbed an earthy colored one that had basil encrusted in it and had a citrusy lemon scent and plopped it in the water, watching it fizz and dissolve before my eyes. I leaned back and relaxed, resting my arms along the sides of the tub as the warmth enveloped me. The heat sank into my muscles causing the tension in my shoulders and legs that had built up from grooming and washing dogs earlier to disappear. 

The minutes seemed to zoom by as I allowed each of my muscles to relax over time and closed my eyes, making sure not to doze off in the relaxing bath. At home, I rarely took baths as my tub was small and cramped so I had gotten so used to showering every night that I forgot how nice it was to just unwind. The scent from the bath bomb and the candles together had me on cloud nine. Before I knew it, there was a soft knock at the door followed by Andrew’s voice on the other side 

“Ehm…. Stella. Just popping by to say everything is ready downstairs. No rush or anything.” His voice was muffled through the door.

“Thank you! I will be down shortly” I called out. 

I heard an acknowledgment and his retreating steps before I began washing my hair. I always did that last so I could spend more time enjoying the fresh bath rather than sitting in rinsed shampoo and conditioner. I began to let the water out and started to run the faucet slowly, dipping my head under the running water so as to rinse my hair completely clean before shutting it off and standing slowly so as not to slip. Grabbing the nearest towel I dried myself off before stepping out of the tub and doing my nightly routine. towel drying and braiding my hair, washing my face, and slipping into my PJs. 

I gazed at my reflection for a moment. A flicker of self doubt crossing over my face. I don’t know why I was feeling the pressure of not being “cute” around Andrew but for some reason it kept rearing it’s ugly head. 

“Oh well,” I said to my reflection “he gets what he gets, I guess” I said and mimed finger guns at my reflection before turning the light off and heading down stairs.

Andrew definitely heard my bare feet padding down the stairs because he called to me from the living room and I followed the sound of his voice. Rounding the corner I stopped and stared in awe at the transformed living room. 

“Did you…. Did you make a pillow fort?” I asked, eyes wild with wonder as I looked at the engineered building of sheets and chairs and pillows. 

“Ehmmm….” He cocked his head to the side and looked at the fort “Yes.” He said, seemingly pleased with himself. 

The fort had a wide tented opening so the TV could be viewed easily. I peeked inside and saw mountains of pillows, and a bed-type area for lounging and watching comfortably. Across the room was a buffet of snacks. Popcorn, Sodas, Candy, chips. A whole mess of junk food. I stared incredulously at the spread.

“You have no problem eating all this?” I asked. 

“You’ve got to let loose every now and then, yea?” he asked before grabbing a few bits of popcorn and popping them into his mouth. 

“I guess you have a point there” I relaxed. 

He was wearing loose drawstring pants and a t shirt that had clearly seen a lot of wear along with his glasses and his hair tied back. I felt less self conscious about being seen as plain since he seemed very comfortable being himself around me. 

“Now! What shall we watch?” he said pointing to a shelf with various movies on there

“Hmm” I walked over to the shelf poring over the titles. “Well…. Do we want something funny orrrr…. Scary?” I asked

“How about we roll the dice, shall we?” he asked pulling out his phone and opening up an app where you could roll various dice. 

“OK, deal.” There were six shelves of movies, so the first roll would determine the shelf number we picked, then the second roll would determine the movie on the shelf. Seemed simple enough 

“Hmmm… looks like the Winner is Chid’s Play.” He said picking up the movie off the shelf. I winced as I saw the chucky doll on the front cover.

“Oh man… I remember being so fascinated with this series when I was younger.” I exclaimed. 

And yes, the movies terrified me to bits but I always found myself watching them from time to time. It had been years since the last time I saw any of those movies. I made myself comfortable while Andrew set the movie up. I placed my drink on the end table near me and got a bowl of the freshly popped popcorn and threw a handful of M&Ms into the bowl. The sweet and buttery taste usually threw some people off but when the popcorn was just hot enough to melt the chocolate treat, the mix of salty and sweet was always a good combo. 

Andrew sat legs crossed next to me and situated the pillows around him before looking over at me with a grin.

“Ready?” I asked.

He leaned over and pulled me into a kiss before lightly flicking the end of one of my braids behind me. His nose wrinkling in amusement. 

“Now I’m ready.” he said pressing play and setting the remote to the side. “You look beautiful, by the way.” He whispered into my ear. 

Warmth crept up into my cheeks and I leaned back looking at him. 

“You think so?” I asked half teasing, half asking for reassurance. 

“Of course.” He replied, “You’ve never looked more radiant” 

He ran his fingers up and down my arm, grazing lightly over my skin and sending chills down my spine. 

I smiled and sidled closer to him and leaning back on the pillows to get comfortable. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder encouraging me to lay my head on his shoulder and I happily obliged. I breathed in the scent of him and let out a happy sigh. I have no idea what I was worried about. This just felt like second nature. 

There were parts of the movie that I watched peeking between my fingers that Andrew had no issue watching. Occasionally, he would steal popcorn out of my bowl and was delighted when he was surprised by the M&Ms that he didn’t expect. I’d playfully shoo his hand away and tell him to get his own snacks and he would act appalled. 

“Finneeeee…” I gave in setting the bowl between us, “I’ll share… but only because I like you” I teased, sticking my tongue out at him. 

“Careful where you stick that tongue dear, it may get you into trouble.” He warned, giving me side eye as he tossed popcorn into his mouth.

“What kind of trouble?” I asked crossing my arms defiantly. 

“The kind where I ask you to put that tongue to good use” he cocked an eyebrow at me before turning his attention back to the screen in front of us. 

My jaw dropped and I stared back at him, surprised at how forward he was being. Surprised, but definitely not appalled. It was only a moment before I regained my composure. Not wanting him to think he won with that little quip, I shot back. 

“You act as if I hadn’t been planning on doing that already.” 

Now was his turn to look shocked. He thought he had the upper hand. 

“My, my, miss Stella.” He clicked his tongue in feigned judging disappointment. 

The act didn’t last long because before I knew it he had pushed the popcorn bowl to the side and pulled me into his lap. I gasped at the sudden movement then laughed as he quickly leaned down and started tickling me. 

“What?! ANDREW NOOOOO” I said through fits of laughter as his fingers tickled my side. 

He was grinning as I was being tortured with fits of laughter. I had to turn the tables again. I quickly maneuvered myself so I was straddling his waist and grabbed his hands pinning them at his sides. 

“Ha!” I said staring back at him. “Can’t tickle me if your hands are restrained.” I gave him a look of triumph.

He leaned back, his laughter slowly subsiding and smiled at me.

“Touche. I’ve been hit. I’m at your mercy.” He gave me a wink and I slowly realized the position we were in. Me straddling him in nothing but shorts and a tank top in a blanket tent. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all. ‘

I let go of his hands and they slid gently up my thighs and rested at my hips. Looking down at him I could see the look in his eye. It wasn’t one of deep hunger but of happiness. 

“I surely hope you plan on kissing me, dear.” He spoke softly. 

I smiled at him and nodded before leaning down and kissing him. The kiss lasted a few moments and before I knew it the world was spinning and I was lying on my back, Andrew above me with a wicked gleam in his eye. I felt the heat flush at my core with one look from him.

Ohhh… heavens forgive me.


	13. Common Tongue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella's overnight PJ Date with Andrew continues as they try to enjoy the small bits of time that they have left together before Andrew's trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow wow wow wow. Remind me to get discouraged again! As most of you saw on my last chapter, i mentioned that i had been feeling discouraged due to the lack of feedback. I wasn't sure if the pacing i was writing was right or if it was too hot (or not hot enough ;] ) but you guys showed me in an overwhelming amount of comments that you like my story and i was being totally silly for being discouraged. Thank you so so much for taking to time to remind me what a great audience I have. 
> 
> I figured i'd reward you guys with a rather hot chapter this week. and thank you again! it means so much.

###  Ch. 13: Common Tongue 

Every fiber of my being felt like it was on fire and heat pooled at my core. 

This would kill me. I was sure of it. The feeling of Andrew’s lips as he trailed kisses down my neck. My collar. His hand had slipped stealthily underneath my shirt and I was melting as his fingers skillfully grazed against my skin. His eyes lifted up towards me and he smirked as he noticed the color that was blooming on my cheeks. He began to slowly push my shirt up and then swiftly pulled it off over my head, leaving me in a sports bra. 

Of course it was a PJ date but I most definitely was not planning on coming to our second official date braless. That was my own insecurity though, as he didn’t seem to mind. I have a feeling he sensed my nervousness because he sat back on his knees and marveled at me. My legs were draped over his thighs on either side of him and I blushed. The smile he had given me was not one of lust but the look of someone looking at a painting. He didn’t have to voice the words that were in his head because they were written so plainly on his face. 

“You’re beautiful, Stella.” He said it anyways. 

“Thank you, Andrew.” I laced my fingers with his. 

My gut reaction was to ask the dreaded question. “Really? Do you really think so?” because I was so used to second guessing every time someone complimented me. I was also raised to be humble so it almost felt like it was the humble thing to do. To deny it when someone complimented you. But instead I just thanked him. I had no doubt in my mind that he believed that based on the look of content on his face.

He gave my hands a light tug and I took the hint and sat up, meeting his lips half way. I was sure that I would never get tired of kissing him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and laid back down in the pillows, taking him with me. Our legs stayed tangled together as he joined me, nibbling at my lower lip slightly. While kissing me his hand slowly made its way up my side and his thumb slipped under the edge of my bra. My breath hitched as I felt his finger graze against my nipple. 

He stiffened at my reaction and pulled back slightly, looking down at me with heat burning in his eyes but it was not enough to mask the slight concern that lay there too.

“Is this okay?” He asked.

“Yes.” I said aloud, remembering that he preferred audible consent. 

He slid the bra up and off the rest of the way and pulled me back into a heated kiss, his hand cupping my breast. I reveled in his touch but, not to be outdone, I began tugging at the back of his shirt. I felt his smile widen right before he broke the kiss, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it behind him. He was just as pale as I expected him to be but I had barely a moment to marvel at him the way he did me before I was on my back again his lips crashing upon mine.

I was lost in him as our hands explored each other in the darkness of the room. The only light came shining from the TV behind us. Granted, hearing the screams of people being killed in the movie was far from romantic mood music but I had all but tuned them out. All I could hear was the rapid beating of my heart and I raised an eyebrow at the deep humming noise Andrew had made under his breath as my fingers neared his waist. 

He pushed me flat onto my back and pinned my hands above me. My eyes widened as be began making his slow descent kissing down to my chest. I tried to catch my breath from kissing him but he had other plans in mind. The kisses were no longer sweet tiny pecks. They had now changed to small nibbles as he got to my breast. I let out a quiet moan as he lingered there lifting a hand and running it through his hair. He lifted his eyes towards mine and grabbed my hand, pinning it above me again.

 _Oh._

I was breathy as he decided he would move on, his kisses now trailing down to my stomach. Realizing his path I felt my heart drop to my stomach and gasped. He took that as encouragement and planted a kiss right above the waist of my shorts. 

“No one is coming home this time, right?” I asked remembering how we had been interrupted before. 

“Not a soul.” He said quietly as he slowly started to slide my shorts down over my hips. 

Sliding them off, he sat on his knees again before me, kissing the tops of my bent knees. First the right, then the left. I sighed as he slid his palms down over my thighs. His touch lit a fire in me but it was nothing compared to what I was in store for. His lips soon followed the trail that his burning hands had traveled across my skin. He kissed and nibbled down my thighs and there was only a moment’s silence before I released an audible gasp and he put his mouth on me. It was then that I thanked every god that I could think of as time stopped existing and the only thing that mattered was him at my center and the waves of euphoria that he was subjecting me to. 

 

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

 

I couldn’t honestly tell you if it had been minutes or hours. The repeating disc menu of the movie in the background had told me that it had been long enough that we had missed the majority of the film and it was now over. I was snuggled up next to Andrew and he was humming a melody as I laid my head on his chest. His deep voice reverberated through his lungs and chest and I relaxed at the sound of it against my ear. I was beyond satisfied. We may not have gone all the way but Andrew made sure that his mouth had tasted every inch of me and made me feel as if he was worshiping at the altar of some long forgotten goddess. I was amazed at how cared for he made me feel. 

Suddenly Andrew stopped humming and I looked up at him and he had his eyebrows furrowed as if a thought had suddenly come to him. He began to sit up and I sat up, moving out of his way and pulling a blanket up over myself as there was a slight chill in the air when you’re shirtless… imagine that. 

He stood up quickly and disappeared into the hall. I felt around searching for my shirt. It took me a moment since it was buried in all of the pillows but I was just slipping it over my head as he returned to the room, guitar in hand. His humming had returned as he set the guitar down momentarily and began fumbling through a stack of books. He pulled out a tattered notebook and a pen and put it on the coffee table that we had taken over as our snack table. Grabbing his guitar again he crossed his legs and sat on the floor before started to pick away at the strings. His thumb stroked a low steady beat while his fingers plucked a bluesy tune and he hummed along. I smiled and hugged my knees, perfectly content to sit there and watch him so suddenly inspired. 

The tune was a deep, soul grabbing but upbeat tune. His humming began to get interspersed with a few words under his breath. I strained to listen but I could barely under stand them. He picked up a pen and jotted something down before putting it down and plucking away at the guitar again and mumbling along. He shook is head and stopped, scratching a word out and tried again. This time seemingly getting more into the rhythm of it.

“Me and my babe relaxing catching manic rhapsody…” he stopped, writing again. 

My heart stopped. He was talking about me?? His humming continued and I caught a few words here and there.

“Looks on….abject apathy…”

He looked up at me and grinned

“A moment’s silence when my baby puts her mouth on me….” 

I tossed a pillow at him which he skillfully dodged.

“What was that for?!” he asked incredulously between laughs. 

“You can’t just write a song about what we just did!” I said teasingly. 

He raised an eyebrow at me, leaning forward singing again, glancing down at his notebook to see what he had written down.

“A swollen order means a prayer in perfect parody. A moment’s silence when my baby puts her mouth on me.” 

My jaw dropped and he couldn’t control his laughter once he saw my reaction. 

“You aren’t really going to put that into a song.” I rolled my eyes and gave him a playful shove. 

“Why not? All the rappers do it, don’t they?” he asked with a wink.

“Because… I don’t know! Don’t your fans call you like forest man or something? What would they think if you wrote about oral sex?” I chuckled leaning forward and kissing his lips. 

“They already think I do!” he said incredulously. 

“Whaaatt??” my eyes widened. 

“Yea. They think Take me To Church had some metaphor for oral in it.. So…. Why not actually give them one?” he grinned. 

He had a wicked gleam in his eye and I honestly couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. He gently put the guitar down next to him and motioned me towards him. I obliged and made my way over to him and he pulled me into his lap. I laced my fingers with his and his thumb lazily grazed over mine as I leaned my head against his chest. 

“So… are you excited for your big trip?” I asked, both dreading the thought of it and excited at what it could have in store for him. 

“Absolutely,” he kissed the top of my head, “I think it’s about time I stopped being such a hermit and got back at it. I mean… I miss being mostly anonymous but I think that’s a fine price to pay for being able to do what I love. For now at least.” He explained. 

“Well…. I will miss you..I guess.” I said that last part feigning indifference. 

“You guess?” he raised an eyebrow at me. 

“Yea well. I mean, mainly for Elwood’s sake ya know? He’s gonna be bored all alone until I stop by.” I was only half joking. I had thought about bringing Elwood to my house to stay but I didn’t have a huge yard or anything. He would be better off here. 

“Well perhaps he needs a nanny rather than a dog sitter.” He said with a laugh, “Maybe you could stay here while I’m gone.” 

I raised an eyebrow at him, “Really?” I asked incredulously.

I hadn’t even thought of that as an option. I supposed because Andrew and I hadn’t made anything official it was weird assuming that I could stay over when he wasn’t home. Especially since I hadn’t stayed over even when he was home. Tonight would be the first night I’ve done that. 

“True, you do have quite a nice guest house.” I commented thinking back to when I had been there recently to bathe Elwood. Andrew Scoffed. 

“Or, you could stay here in the main house. You could sleep in my room I don’t mind.” He said leaning back to get a good look at me and gauge my reaction. 

“You wouldn’t mind?” I asked, unsure. 

“Of course not. You would be here every day anyways. Sure it is a bit out of the way from your job but I’m sure Elwood would appreciate the company.” 

I put my finger to my chin pretending to think about it for a moment before nodding. 

“Okay, then. If you really don’t mind me making your bed smell like girl!” I said jokingly. 

He laughed and pulled me into a kiss. “I’d enjoy that very much, actually.” 

I kissed him back then let out a yelp as I was suddenly lifted off of him. Andrew stood to his feet and held me in his arms bridal style. 

“Andrew! What are you doing?!” I gasped through giggles as I looked down and noticed how high I was off of the ground as he began carrying me out of the living room. I’m a short gal so being his height definitely was a big difference.

“We are going to bed, dear.” He stated matter of factly

“You have a point. We both have to get up early. You’ll want to be well rested for your trip” I said sadly.

“Oh no, you misunderstand. We aren’t going to sleep.” He said smugly as he carried me up the stairs to his room. 

_A moment’s silence, indeed._


	14. Ch. 14 Morning whispers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew and Stella spend one last morning together before Andrew's trip to the US.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys, i'm not dead! Still here! I've had a huge project at work so i haven't been able to be at my PC much to write. So sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I hope you enjoy! As always let me know in the comments what you thought!

###  Ch. 14 Morning Whispers 

The breeze from the fan above us cooled me, making the warmth of his arms around my waist even more inviting than usual. That was the first thing that I had noticed as I began to come to. One arm underneath the pillow and the other resting gently over my waist. Andrew’s deep and rhythmic breaths sounded quietly behind me. Finally my eyes fluttered open and I glanced through sleepy eyes at the clock on the bedside table. It was nearly 4 AM. I wish I had remained asleep because now that I was awake I realized that I had to use the restroom but was dreading the idea of leaving this bed. 

Slowly, I lifted Andrew’s arm off of me and set it to the side and doing the most that I could not to wake him. His breathing hitched a little bit and I froze but no more than a second later the rhythmic breaths continued. Slipping out of bed, I padded into the restroom on tip toes before gently closing the door. Silver moonlight streamed in from the large window above the tub and I shivered slightly from the cold tile of the floor on my bare feet. I was quick about my business as I didn’t have a stitch of clothing on and I was freezing. I washed and dried my hands in the near darkness, not wanting to turn on the light for fear of it shining under the door and waking him. 

I slowly made my way back and slipped into bed. I was just about to mentally congratulate myself on not waking him when I felt a pair of long arms snake around my waist and pull me close followed by a gentle kiss on the top of my head.

“I was wondering where you had slipped off to.” Andrew mumbled sleepily. 

I nestled down comfortably in his arms and laid a hand over his. 

“Hmm miss me or something?” I asked quietly. 

“Perhaps I did.” A kiss on my bare shoulder now. 

Our voices were barely above a whisper. Almost as if the sound of a full voice would shatter the bubble we were in together. In reality we had only been asleep a few hours. Andrew had made sure to explore every inch of me before I was allowed to even think about sleep. Even then sleep never came close to claiming us until after the third round… or fourth? I didn’t feel like counting. I shifted, turning so I was facing him. I could just make out his face in the dark. He gave me a soft smile and pushed a few strands of hair out of my face. The light touch gave me a slight chill. 

“Its going to be odd.” He mused after a few moments of running his fingers through my hair

“Hmm?” I said sleepily. I had already begun to slowly drift off.

“Not seeing you every day.” He whispered kissing my forehead again.

I felt the butterflies bubble up within me and I leaned my forehead against his chest, tangling my legs with his. 

“All the more reason for you to nail this album pitch and come home then, hmm?” my voice muffled by his shirt. 

I felt him nod as he pulled me tightly against him. Silence settled between us and I could just make out the chirping of a few early birds in the distance. The light streaming in from the window was turning into the watery grey color of dusk. In just a few short hours he would be driving to the airport leaving me and Elwood to ourselves. I had actually been trying not to think of what I would do to pass the time while he was away. The only thing that had been on my mind was soaking up what little time we had left. Andrew had said that the trip could last anywhere from two weeks to a month, depending on how well the pitch went. If it went well they would immediately get in the studio and start putting an EP together. 

My thoughts were interrupted by the familar soft and rhythmic breathing as he had dozed off. 

“Andrew..” I whispered.

The breathing stopped as he woke back up. 

“Hmm?” he asked sleepily. 

“Don’t go back to sleep.” I said shaking him gently. 

His eyes remained closed but a smile played upon his lips. He cracked open one solitary, sleepy eye and looked down at me. 

“Please?” I asked.

“Why not?” he half sat up, propping his head up on his palm

“Because you have to leave soon.” I reminded him, glancing at the clock behind him on the bedside table. 

“3 hours is not soon.” He raised an eyebrow at me. 

“Uh huh…. And exactly how much do you have packed?” I mirrored his expression, raised eyebrow and all. 

“Pfft…It wont take me long to pack.” 

I glanced around the room with bits of clothing strewn about. 

“Uh huh? Hmm… What do you plan on packing then?” I challenged.

“Let’s see,” he propped himself up on his elbows. “I’ve got…. The jean jacket.” 

“Okay, that’s a start.” I said feigning a chastising tone. 

“And uhh….” He glanced around the room. “That striped shirt.” He point at a shirt draped over a chair. 

“Hun… You’ve going to need more than a jacket and a single striped shirt…” I said shaking my head. 

I began to pull away to get out of bed. If he wasn’t going to pack now he might as well have clean clothes to take with him. 

“Just where do you think you’re going?” He asked as he grabbed my waist.

He pulled me back into bed and I plopped down with a chirp of surprise. He hovered over me as I lay back against the mattress and pillows. 

“Hey, I was going to do your laundry!” I exclaimed 

“Hmm..” He hummed as he started kissing my neck. “Later.” He mumbled. 

He had pushed my arms above my head and had a hand clasping my wrists together pinned above me. The moment his lips started to trail down to my collar the fight was lost. He could wear the same three outfits while away for all I cared. As long as he kept kissing me I wouldn’t need to think about it. It only took a moment for us to get lost within each other again. Might as well send him off with something to think of while away. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Andrew, it’s almost 7.” I sat up quickly looking at the clock with alarm. After we had satisfied ourselves we must have fallen asleep. Andrew was supposed to be at the airport in 20 minutes. 

“Huh?” his daze slowly waring off. 

I jumped out of bed scrambling for my clothes. 

“Twenty minutes!” I shouted as I tossed him a shirt and began pulling on my shirt that I had packed in my overnight bag. 

“Shit.” He jumped up and ran into the bathroom. I heard the shower turn on and knew he was planning on flying through his routine. 

I grabbed his black bag that he had set out the night before and began quickly folding clothes and tossing them into the bag. I paused for a moment looking around the room. He had this vest that he wore that he looked absolutely ravishing in… he would definitely need that if he wanted to make an impression. I threw open his closet doors and began rummaging through the shirts hanging up. 

“Ughhh Andrew…” I wasn’t finding it. I grabbed a few more things before leaving the closet and folding them up and putting them in the bag. It was then that I spotted it on the floor. Picking it up I brushed it off and smelled it. 

“I mean… it smells clean.” I shrugged and tossed it into the bag. 

I threw in multiple pairs of socks and briefs as well before shoving everything down as far as it could go while I forced the zipper around it. I had just gotten it completely zipped when he bounded out of the bathroom, hair still soaked, and wrapped in a towel. His phone began to ring and he picked it up and dropped his towel, grabbing a pair of briefs and clumsily stepping into them as he spoke to whoever was on the other end of the phone. 

“Yea.” He almost tripped. “Ya. No— yea no don’t worry I’m walking out the door now.” He said. Very obviously lying. I quickly finished getting dressed while he got the rest of his things together. We managed to only leave the house five minutes later than we had expected to. 

“Sorry dear, but if you want to get me there on time, I’m going to have to drive, is that okay?” he asked as he was tossing his bag into the trunk of my car. 

“Yea, of course. Go ahead!” I said tossing him the keys as we switched sides. 

We both slid into the car and he started it up as I was putting my seat belt on. 

“Buckle up!” he said with a laugh as he peeled out of the driveway. 

I remember on our date thinking that I couldn’t have possibly taken these curves any faster than he had then. He was showing me now just how wrong I was. HE took every torn on the winding road with ease but due to our speeds the turns were a little bit sharper. The hills were rolling past us at a speed I had never seen them before. I grabbed the handle on my side of the car and held on for dear life. Luckily, it was early and we practically had the road to ourselves. Andrew’s driving was the scary part. In Fact, I was amazed at how well he was handling the road at these speeds. IT was my car I was worried about. She was up in age and I wasn’t sure I had ever seen her take open road this fast let alone curves. 

We pulled into the airport in record time. Pulling up to the unloading lane, he popped the trunk and we both got out. 

“Hey look… three minutes to spare.” He noted looking at his watch. 

“Yea only because I’m pretty sure you left half of my car on the road!” I said with a laugh as he pulled me into a tight hug. 

Where I would normally expect him to let go and be on his way, he didn’t. His grip on me tightened and I buried my face in his chest, breathing in his scent. I didn’t want him to go. It was selfish of me not to want him to go but I really just wanted him to stay. I had a million insecurities running through my head that I had been so scared to share with him. My biggest one was that he would go, get this record, and realize that I was boring and nowhere near as exciting as life on the road. I’m sure he felt me tense up at the thought as he pulled back. His hands were on my shoulders and he held me out to observe me.

“You okay, dear?” He asked softly. His eyes searching mine for answers.

“Of course,” I reassured him, “I’m just going to miss you. That’s all” I said with a sheepish smile. 

He looked down at me and sighed, slipping a finger under my chin and tipping my head back to look at him. 

“I’m going to miss you too, dear.” He said kissing my sweetly on the lips. 

My smile grew as he kissed me. I don’t know what I was worried about. This was such a good opportunity for him and if he really liked me, None of what my imagination had concocted in my head would come true. He wouldn’t get bored of me, he wouldn’t forget about me. And I will be here eagerly waiting for news on how his trip was going. 

“Give Elwood a treat for me.” He said kissing me on the lips again, “I really have to get going…” he trailed off. 

“Go.” I sad untangling from his arms and grabbing his bag from the trunk and handing it to him. 

“I’ll text you.” He said planting one more kiss on my forehead as he hiked is back up on his shoulder. 

“You better!” empty threats, of course. 

One final kiss. We lingered for a moment before finally getting the nerve to pull away. He kissed my forehead one last time before turning and walking towards the building. I leaned against the car and crossed my arms, watching this man walk away from me for weeks. A normal person would leave then, but I didn’t I sat and watched the terminal outside until I finally saw the plane that I assumed was Andrew’s take off.  
Here’s to the next few weeks alone in a big empty house.


End file.
